Police investigating the Berlin lorry attack believe they may have the wrong man and the real suspect could still be on the loose.

A Pakistani asylum seeker who was arrested over the attack on a market in the German capital has denied he is responsible, with reports that the person behind it may be armed and still at large.

The suspect, a 23-year-old who came to Germany on December 31 last year, was captured by police in the aftermath of the incident which left 12 people dead and dozens more injured.

But German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said the man has denied any involvement, and Berlin's police chief Klaus Kandt has said officials are unsure whether they have detained the real suspect.

According to German newspaper Die Welt, a police spokesman said: "We have got the wrong man, which means a new situation, because the actual attacker is still armed and free and can cause more damage."

Mr Kandt told reporters that police "haven't been able to confirm" whether the man held was the lorry's driver.