Far-right leaders criticise European open borders policy after Berlin attacker travels across continent

Populist politicians say Schengen zone rules must be reviewed

Marine Le Pen led criticism of the Schengen agreement

Far-right politicians across Europe have blamed the continent’s open borders policy for enabling the Berlin market attacker to evade capture for four days.

Anis Amri, 24, is suspected of driving a lorry into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital on Monday evening.

He was shot dead by armed police in a suburb of Milan, Italy, on Friday morning, having travelled from Germany through France and then into Italy.

Sources said a rail ticket found on the Tunisian’s body suggested he had caught a high-speed train from France to the northern Italian city of Turin and then taken a local train to Milan.

Right-wing leaders across the continent said the ease with which the alleged terrorist appears to have crossed borders highlighted the failings of the Schengen pact, which established open borders between its member states. Germany, France and Italy are all members of the agreement, along with most other EU states.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front in France, said: "This escapade in at least two or three countries is symptomatic of the total security catastrophe that is the Schengen agreement.

“Without permanent national borders, France and its neighbours are reduced to learning that an armed and dangerous jihadi was probably wandering on its soil only after the event.

"I reiterate my pledge to give back France full control of its sovereignty, its national borders and to put an end to the consequences of the Schengen agreement."

Her comments were echoed by Nigel Farage, the former leader of Ukip.

He said: "If the man shot in Milan is the Berlin killer, then the Schengen Area is proven to be a risk to public safety. It must go."

In Italy, meanwhile, populist leader Beppe Grillo said the Schengen pact “must be reviewed”.

He said: “Italy is becoming a parade of terrorists, we are not able to recognise and report that. Thanks to Schengen they can cross our border undisturbed."

Mr Grillo suggested it was “crazy” that two Italian police officers had had to risk their lives to deal with a “terrorist wanted by half of Europe”.

The Schengen agreement should be temporarily frozen in the case of a terrorist attack in Europe, he said.

Other far-right leaders also voiced their objections to the policy.

Geert Wilders, leader of the right-right Dutch Freedom Party said: “So Anis Amri enters EU as asylum seekers, commits terror in Germany and travels to Italy. And closing our borders is a bad idea, Minister President?”