While a terror attack was occurring in Berlin and an Ambassador was assassinated in Turkey on Monday, President President Barack Obama could be found teeing off on the golf course as part of his Christmas vacation in Hawaii.

The Obamas are staying in a Kailua beachfront rental home, on the east side of the island of Oahu

The First Family arrived in Hawaii on Friday night for their annual family vacation.

The White House released a statement confirming the President was being kept up-to-date with everything that was going on in Berlin while he was on the island, and has been briefed by his national security team on the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey.

Video courtesy of Hawaii News Now

President Obama spent five hours playing a round of golf at Oahu's Mid Pacific Country Club with friends (he is pictured here on a course in Massachusetts in August 2015)

President Barack Obama began the fourth day of his annual Hawaiian holiday vacation with a morning workout at an army base followed by a round of golf with friends

Rant: Altintas shouts 'Allahu akbar [God is great]' as Andrei Karlov lies dying on the floor after the fatal gallery shooting

Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, 62, was shot several times from behind by a gunman shouting: 'Allahu Akbar (God is Great). We die in Aleppo, you die here!' He also screamed: 'Only death will take me out of here.'

The shooter, who was wearing a suit and tie, has been identified as Mevlüt Mert Altintas, 22, a member of Ankara's police riot squad. He reportedly fired into the air before taking aim at the ambassador.

In Germany, an Afghan refugee is thought to have been behind the wheel of a 25-tonne articulated lorry which mowed down and killed 12 people - and injured 48 others - as it sped at 40mph through a busy Christmas market in Berlin.

The vehicle left a trail of devastation in its wake, in a chilling echo of the deadly terror attack in the French city of Nice in July - and comes just one hour after the Russian ambassador was shot dead in Ankara

The vehicle mounted the pavement before tearing through stalls and shoppers in the market on Breitscheidplatz Square, outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the German capital's main shopping area

The vehicle laden with steel cargo mounted the pavement at 7pm, before tearing through stalls and shoppers on Breitscheidplatz Square, outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the German capital's main shopping area.

The man at the wheel fled the scene before being arrested at a nearby zoo.

'We have been in touch with German officials, and we stand ready to provide assistance as they recover from and investigate this horrific incident,' White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

'Germany is one of our closest partners and strongest allies, and we stand together with Berlin in the fight against all those who target our way of life and threaten our societies,' Price continued.

A truck plowed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring up to 50 others

Meanwhile, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has also been out on the golf course is has also condemned the attack linking it to 'Islamist terrorists' before German police officials had even said who was responsible.

President Obama makes golf something of a ritual when he goes on vacation, pictured here on Martha's Vineyard in August 2015

President Barack Obama, left, and first lady Michelle Obama, second from right, with their daughters Malia, third from left, and Sasha, fifth from left, are greeted as they arrived in Hawaii on Friday

Trump, in a statement, said 'ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad.'

On Twitter, he said the attack, along with others in Turkey and Switzerland, showed 'it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!'

Mr Trump said in a statement: 'Our hearts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims of today's horrifying terror attack in Berlin.

'Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday. ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad.

'These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners.'

President-elect Donald Trump, center, speaks to an aide at Mar-a-Lago resort, in Palm Beach, Fla. before afternoon meetings. He is spending the week at his Florida club

Trump's transition issued a statement Monday afternoon on the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as vulnerable to attacks.

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Nice and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers.

Back in Hawaii, the president directed his team to give him updates as warranted.

After a morning workout on a Marine Corps base, Obama headed to Lanikai, where he played golf at Mid Pacific Country Club.

Obama has played golf at the club during his annual vacations to the islands.

Last year, he sunk an impressive 40-foot putt on the 18th green that drew cheers from those watching from the road outside the course.

Some people gathered on the side of the road Monday, waving and snapping pictures of his motorcade as it passed by.