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Terrorism

More than $170,000 raised for Polish truck driver

December 24, 2016

The campaign to help the family of Polish driver Lukasz Urban, who died when his truck was hijacked for the Berlin attack, was started by British trucker Dave Duncan.

https://p.dw.com/p/2UqRs
Deutschland | Weihnachtssingen in Berlin und Köln
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Zinken

A crowdfunding campaign aimed at raising money for the family of the slain Polish truck driver, who apparently tried to thwart the recent terror attack in Berlin, has raised nearly $175,000 (167,000 euros.)

Lukasz Urban, 37, was killed when he apparently tried to regain control of his hijacked truck as it zeroed in on a crowded Christmas market in Berlin on Monday.

Polen Besitzer des LKW's der bei dem Anschlag verwendet wurde
A cousin of Urban, and the owner of the trucking company he was working for, shows a photo of the slain driver.Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/Str

The funding campaign was initiated by British truck driver Dave Duncan on Tuesday. Duncan wrote on the GoFundMe website that he was stunned by the global support.

"I started this with the intention of raising a few hundred pounds for the family from good hearted British truck drivers," he wrote. "Amazing generosity from everybody literally all around the world.....incredible."

On the GoFundMe website Duncan explained that he only expected to raise a few hundred British pounds from British truckers. The amount raised so far is around 20 times the average annual net salary in Poland.

Funding gets global support

As of Saturday evening the page had more than 60,000 shares, and nearly 9,000 people from around the world had opened up their wallets to aid the Urban family.

"No amount of money will bring Lukasz back, but hopefully it will help his family do what ever they need to do," Duncan wrote, in announcing the fund-raising initiative.

On Friday Anis Amri, the man police believe seized the truck and drove it into the Berlin Christmas market, was shot dead by police in Milan, Italy.

Germany's "Bild" newspaper reported that Urban's autopsy indicated he was stabbed while still alive, suggesting he apparently tried to grab the steering wheel to prevent the attacker from driving the truck into the crowded market.

On Friday, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo called Urban "heroic," and said Urban's teenage son and wife would receive a special pension from the state.

bik/jm (Reuters, GoFundMe)