Strasbourg shooting suspect, ID'd as extremist, still at large; - 5 other arrested. Posted: Dec 12th, 2018 - 5:04 am
French authorities have detained five people in connection with a manhunt for a suspected extremist who fatally shot three and wounded 11 near a Christmas market in Strasbourg on Tuesday evening before fleeing the scene, according to reports.
The gunman, whom authorities have identified as 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt, is believed to be injured and remains on the loose.
FRANCE 'TERROR' SHOOTING LEAVES 3 DEAD, MULTIPLE INJURED WITH GUNMAN ON THE RUN: OFFICIALS
The suspect was on a watch list of potentially radicalized people, authorities said. Documents obtained by the Associated Press revealed he was convicted of robbery in Germany in 2016 and sentenced to more than two years in prison for breaking into a dental practice and a pharmacy.
The suspect also served prison time in France in 2008 and in Basel, Switzerland, in 2013 for various robberies, according to the documents. According to a verdict from a district court in Singen, Germany, the suspected attacker grew up with six siblings in Strasbourg, worked for local authorities after leaving school and had been unemployed since 2011.
The suspect opened fire in downtown Strasbourg on Orfevre Street around 8 p.m. local time, government authorities said on Twitter. Part of the shooting took place in a Christmas market at Rue des Grandes Arcades before spilling into different streets in the city, Strasbourg Mayor Roland Ries said.
Police said the suspect was shot and wounded before fleeing the area. Laurent Nunez, secretary of state for the interior ministry, said Wednesday on France-Inter radio that the attacker could have fled to neighboring Germany.
Authorities had reportedly gone to the suspect’s home hours before the shooting to arrest him, but he wasn’t there, a police union official said, adding that explosive materials were found during a search of his home. It wasn't immediately clear why they were making an arrest.
Emergency services patrol at the center of the city of Strasbourg following a shooting, eastern France.
Emergency services patrol at the center of the city of Strasbourg following a shooting, eastern France. (Associated Press)
The government has sent police reinforcements to the city where some 250 security forces are searching for the suspect. It is unclear if the Christmas market was the suspect’s intended target but French officials said they have opened a terrorism investigation.
Authorities urged people to stay inside following the shooting, but Strasbourg Mayor Roland Ries told reporters early Wednesday that “life must go on” so that the city doesn’t give in to a “terrorist who is trying to disrupt our way of life.”
Strasbourg, located about 310 miles east of Paris and near the German border, is considered one of Europe's capitals and home to the European Parliament. The Christmas market is one of the country’s largest and is set up around the city’s cathedral during the holiday season. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was a popular gathering place for Al Qaeda affiliates.
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