It was not unusual to see a man of North African descent loitering outside the metro station at Sesto San Giovanni, a once-thriving industrial hub that is now a grimy, working-class suburb with a large immigrant population and a prominent mosque.
"I don`t have documents, I am Calabrian," Anis Amri mumbled in heavily accented Italian, according to reports. He said he had left them somewhere.
Seconds later, the encounter erupted into violence as Amri "suddenly drew out a gun" and shot at the two policemen, according to Italian interior minister Marco Minniti.
According to one report, Amri shouted "Allahu akbar" (God is great), but others claimed he had yelled "police b-------" as he opened fire with the.22 pistol he had concealed in his backpack.
"It was a regular patrol," Milan police chief Antonio de Iesu said. "They had no perception that it could be him, otherwise they`d have been more careful."
As Amri fired at Officer Movio, striking him in the shoulder, his young colleague had just enough time to draw his Beretta 9mm semi-automatic service weapon and shoot the terrorist fatally in the chest.
Berlin Christmas market attacker Anis Amri was shot dead by police in Milan. Photo: AP/Daniele Bennati
It appeared to a be moment for which Officer Scata had been mentally preparing for all his life, living up to the motto he had chosen for his Facebook page: "Fear is a reaction, courage is a decision".
"Being in the police has always been his dream," said his mother, who was not named. "He is a courageous lad, he did his duty," added his father, Guiseppe.
Trainee officer Luca Scata has been on the force for less than a year. Photo: Supplied
The sound of gunfire ripped through the neighbourhood, bringing one elderly pensioner on to his balcony overlooking the piazza.
"I woke up to go to the bathroom at 3am. I heard `bam-bam` and thought it was fireworks. But then I realised it was not the end of the year," said the man, who gave his name only as Angelo.
Berlin attack suspect Anis Amri pledged his allegiance to terror group ISIS in a video. Photo: Supplied
Their cool professionalism and quick-thinking saw both officers being showered with praise by Italy`s leading politicians, including the country`s new prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni.
Jubilant colleagues posted a photograph of his bloodstained uniform, complete with bullet hole, on social media, and said the wound was "not serious".
Twelve people died when a truck ploughed through a Christmas market in Berlin. Photo: Michele Tantussi/Getty Images
Mr Minniti personally thanked Scata and Movio, who underwent an operation on his shoulder.
Mr Minniti said: "We consider these two young officers to be extraordinary people carrying out their duty and rendered extraordinary service to the community."
There was relief in Berlin that the man responsible for killing 12 people on Monday had been stopped. "Es ist Vorbei!" ("It`s over!") said Bild in a banner headline on its website.
"We can be relieved at the end of this week that one acute danger has been ended," added Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor. "But the danger of terrorism as a whole remains, as it has for many years - we all know that."
There were questions about how Amri had managed to travel from Berlin to Milan via France, despite the increased security imposed by the French in recent months. It was also alleged that Moroccan authorities had warned their German counterparts in September and October about a possible terrorist act by Amri, according to the German magazine Focus.
Milan police chief Antonio de Iesu said that a ticket found on Amri indicated that he had travelled from Chambery, France, arriving at 1am before making his way to Sesto San Giovanni.
On Friday afternoon, as darkness fell in Sesto San Gionvanni, there was only contempt for Amri. Brahim Sabili, 39, a Muslim street vendor from Morocco, had arrived in the morning to open his clothing stall next to the station, and found his path blocked by police and the body still lying on the ground.
"It was a shock," he told The Daily Telegraph. "I feel bad about the Berlin attacks - that is not something that true Muslims would do."
