UPDATE: STRASBOURG MARKET ATTACKER SHOT DEAD
See latest post: https://www.nairaland.com/4900343/huge-manhunt-allahu-akbar-gunman#73824989


See below for information on initial attack which killed 3 people



**Warning: Graphic sounds in videos.**


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64pEMoiSgn0


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N67GXrj4Wfg


The Strasbourg gunman yelled "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest" in Arabic) as he opened fire on people enjoying an evening out at a Christmas market, the Paris public prosecutor told reporters.

Rémy Heitz said two people had been killed and one left brain-dead after the attack in the eastern French city on Tuesday.

Twelve were wounded, six seriously.

The man, named by local media as Chérif Chekatt, was known to authorities as having been radicalised in prison.

The 29-year-old was armed with a gun and a knife and escaped the area in a taxi, Mr Heitz said.

The attacker boasted to the driver - who has spoken to police - that he had killed 10 people, and said he had been injured in a firefight with soldiers.

Four people connected to the suspect had been detained overnight in Strasbourg, Mr Heitz added.


Hundreds of officers are currently involved in the search for the gunman. France's Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez earlier acknowledged he may no longer be in France.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the country had moved to a high level of alert, expanding police powers and increasing vigilance.

He added that border controls had been strengthened and security at all Christmas markets would be stepped up.

The mayor of Strasbourg, Roland Ries, has said the Christmas market will be closed on Wednesday and flags lowered to half-mast at the local town hall.


What happened?

The attack unfolded at around 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on Tuesday close to Strasbourg's famed Christmas market near one of the central squares, Place Kléber, which attracts thousands of visitors at this time of year.

A woman called Audrey told France's BFM TV how she came face to face with the killer after watching him shoot a man in the head.

He also had 27 convictions spanning across France, Germany and Switzerland, and has spent considerable time in prison as a result.

Police were seeking him on Tuesday morning in connection with another case, but did not find him at home.

However Mr Nuñez said his crimes had never been terrorism-related. But, he added, it was during one period in prison that he was indentified as having become radicalised.

"The fact he was a 'fiche S' did not pre-judge his level of dangerousness," Mr Nuñez told France Inter.

A search of his home revealed a grenade, a rifle, four knives, two of which were hunting knives, and ammunition.


4th Picture: Suspected Gunman Chérif Chekatt

Continued:

How did he escape?

He managed to reach a taxi which drove him away from the scene and dropped him in the vicinity of the police station in Neudorf, the area where he lives which sits on the border between Germany and France.

When he got out the vehicle, he fired at police officers.

What do we know about the gunman?

According to police - who refer to him as Chérif C - the gunman was born in Strasbourg and was already known to the security services as a possible terrorist threat.

He was the subject of a "fiche S", a watchlist of people who represent a potential threat to national security.

He also had 27 convictions spanning across France, Germany and Switzerland, and has spent considerable time in prison as a result.

Police were seeking him on Tuesday morning in connection with another case, but did not find him at home.

However Mr Nuñez said his crimes had never been terrorism-related. But, he added, it was during one period in prison that he was indentified as having become radicalised.

"The fact he was a 'fiche S' did not pre-judge his level of dangerousness," Mr Nuñez told France Inter.

A search of his home revealed a grenade, a rifle, four knives, two of which were hunting knives, and ammunition.

Omo ale jati jati. See as he resemble Mo Salah

'Weary and deflated'


Strasbourg's famous Christmas market is now a gloomy place.

The lines of wooden huts are all shuttered. The owner of one told us how he had to flee when he heard the gunshots and take shelter in a local bar. "We're all shaken up," he said.

At this time of year, the place should be thronged with people who come from far and wide to sightsee and shop, buying everything from hot sausages to souvenirs. Now there's a weary, deflated feeling. Police stand guard at cordoned off alleyways.

"Everyone was shouting, everyone was running, running, afraid," said one eyewitness who'd seen the gunman shooting randomly.

Strasbourg has been a target for failed terror attacks before. But now it's happened, people here are hurt and outraged. As one said: "It's shameful."


What about the victims?

Thai media have named Anupong Suebsamarn, 45, as one of the dead. He is believed to have been on holiday with his wife.

Not much else is known yet, apart from the fact no children were hurt and one soldier was slightly injured by a ricocheting bullet.

Why is Strasbourg a target?

Strasbourg has been the target of jihadist plots in the past.

Not only does it have one of France's oldest Christmas markets, but it is the official seat of the European Parliament. That parliament was in session at the time of Tuesday evening's attack.

In 2000, the Christmas market was at the centre of a failed al-Qaeda plot. Ten Islamist militants were jailed four years later for their part in the planned New Year's Eve attack.

Security has been tight there ever since the 2015 Paris attacks.

However, MEPs were determined to carry on the morning after the attack, with German MEP Jo Leinen posting a picture of singing and Christmas lights in the European Parliament.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46535552

1st Picture: People take refuge in stadium

World has now shifted from its peaceful state to a violent one...

Every were na blood, even buhari blood them don use am for jubril

UPDATE:

Suspect still on the run

Police in the French city of Strasbourg have carried out a security operation in the district of Neudorf as they continue their hunt for the gunman who attacked a Christmas market on Tuesday.

Cherif Chekatt, 29, has been on the run since the attack, which left three people dead and many more injured.

He was dropped off in Neudorf by a taxi which he commandeered to leave the city centre.

Hundreds of police are hunting for him in France and Germany.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46555705

Update 2: STRASBOURG MARKET ATTACKER SHOT DEAD

French police have shot dead the man who attacked Strasbourg's Christmas market on Tuesday, the interior minister has said.

A police unit came across Cherif Chekatt in a Strasbourg street and shot him after he opened fire.

Three people have died following the shooting at the market and several more were seriously injured.

Chekatt, 29, had a string of criminal convictions in France and Germany and had become a radical Islamist in jail.


How was Chekatt found?

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said three police officers had spotted a man matching Chekatt's description on rue du Lazaret, in the Neudorf area of Strasbourg at 21:00 local time (20:00 GMT).

As the police moved to stop him, the suspect turned round and opened fire. They fired back and "neutralised" the attacker, said Mr Castaner, who later went to the scene.

Hundreds of French police and security forces had been searching for Chekatt.

A large police operation had taken place in Neudorf earlier on Thursday, but ended apparently without results.

Five people have been arrested in connection with the attack. They include Cherif Chekatt's parents and two of his brothers.

Strasbourg mayor Roland Ries said that finding Chekatt meant the worried people of his city would now be able to return to a normal life.

Mr Castaner thanked security forces in a tweet:



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46561574

Why can't the mods push this to front page?