Deadly shooting in French city of Strasbourg
Police are searching for a man who opened fire near a Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg. So far, two people have died from their injuries and at least 12 are injured.
France: the attack and its aftermath
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France: Aftermath of the Nice truck attack
A massive manhunt took place in eastern France on Wednesday, as security forces searched for a suspected extremist who launched a shooting attack near a Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg.
The suspected assailant, Cherif C., killed two people, left one brain-dead and injured at least 12 others in the attack on Tuesday night, officials said, adding that several of those wounded have critical injuries.
At least 350 police special forces members and troops, along with two helicopters, are still searching for the shooter, who was known to France's internal security services as a suspected risk. Cherif C., a 29-year-old with a long rap sheet including armed robbery, was on France's terror watchlist.
French police published a picture of the suspect and asked for the public's assistance in providing any information about him or his current whereabouts.
Prosecutors have opened a terrorism probe into the shooting. The attack is the third deadly incident in France this year to be officially categorized as terrorism.
Speaking with reporters early Wednesday, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the country was raising the security threat alert level and would bolster the protection of Christmas markets and strengthen border controls. Four people have been taken into custody, including the suspect's father and two brothers.
Reporting from the scene earlier, DW Brussels bureau chief Max Hofmann posted a video on Twitter.
President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday joined ministers and top security officials at the Interior Ministry for a crisis meeting. "All the nation is in solidarity with Strasbourg, the victims and their families," he later tweeted.
Terror attacks in France since 2015
December 11, 2018: Strasbourg shooting
A gunman opened fire at a Christmas market in the eastern city of Strasbourg, home to the European Parliament. At least two people were killed and 12 injured. Prosecutors opened a terror investigation. France immediately raised its national security alert to its highest level in anticipation of copycat attacks.
May 12, 2018: Paris knife attack
A man wielding a knife attacks bystanders in a central neighborhood in Paris, killing one person and wounding another four. French prosecutors open a terror probe into the attack, citing witness accounts that the assailant shouted "Allahu akbar" ("God is greatest"). The militant "Islamic State" (IS) group claims responsibility for the attack, calling the knifeman one of their "soldiers."
March 23, 2018: Trebes hostage crisis
An attacker claiming allegiance to IS perpetrates a string of violent crimes in the southern town of Trebes during the morning hours. He kills a man while stealing a car and then fires shots at police officers before entering a Super U grocery store, where he takes hostages. Police shoot dead the attacker. Four people are killed, including including policeman Arnaud Beltrame.
October 1, 2017: Marseille train station knife attack
A man fatally stabs two women at the Marseille train station. The perpetrator, Ahmed Hanachi, is shot dead by police on patrol. IS claims responsibility for the attack in a post by its news agency Amaq. In it, they call Hanachi one of the group's "soldiers." Two Interior Ministry officials resign after it is revealed that Hanachi was an undocumented immigrant who they had failed to detain.
April 20, 2017: Champs-Elysees police shooting
A gunman opens fire on police on the Champs-Elysees, Paris' most iconic boulevard. One police officer is killed and two individuals are injured before police shoot the gunman dead. A note praising IS is found next to the gunman's body. The terrorist group also claims responsibility. The attack occurs just days before the first round of the French presidential election. Security is tightened.
February 3, 2017: Machete attempt at Louvre
Soldiers shoot and severely injure a knife-wielding man outside the Louvre museum in Paris after he assails them. One soldier is lightly injured. The attacker had two further machetes in his backpack. A subsequent investigation reveals the Egyptian national had traveled to France from Dubai on a valid tourist visa. A Twitter account associated with the man's name refers to IS in posts.
July 26, 2016: Murder of Normandy priest
Two teens enter a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy and slit the throat of an 85-year-old priest in front of five parishioners. Police shoot the 19-year-olds dead as they try to leave. IS takes responsibility and publishes a video of the teens pledging allegiance to the group. Many French Muslims attend the next Sunday's Mass to show solidarity with Catholics and condemn the attack.
July 14, 2016: Truck attack in Nice
On Bastille Day, France's national holiday, a truck drives through crowds in Nice that had gathered to watch the fireworks on a major seaside promenade. Before being shot dead by police, the driver kills 86 and injuries more than 400 others. IS claims responsibility, stating that the attacker had responded to IS calls to target civilians living in coalition nations fighting IS in Syria and Iraq.
November 13, 2015: Paris attacks
France's most deadly terror attack: IS jihadis armed with automatic weapons and explosives undertake coordinated attacks in Paris including at the Bataclan concert hall, the national stadium and various street cafes. The mass shootings and suicide bombings kill 130 people, injuring hundreds more. IS claims responsibility. Then-President Francois Hollande calls it an act of war by IS.
August 21, 2015: Thalys train tragedy averted
A deadly attack is averted: On a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris, a man opens fire with an assault rifle that subsequently jams. Other train passengers tackle the man, preventing deadly violence. Four are injured including the attacker. The assailant had been known to French security officials for past drug-related activities and statements in defense of radical Islamist violence.
June 26, 2015: Beheading, truck explosion near Lyon
Yassin Salhi beheads his boss and displays the head, along with two Islamic flags, on the gate outside a gas plant near Lyon. He also tries to blow up the factory by driving his van into the gas cylinders. The attempt fails, but unleashes a smaller explosion, injuring two. French authorities claim links between the man and IS. He commits suicide in prison.
January 7-9, 2015: Charlie Hebdo, Jewish supermarket attack
Two men with automatic guns storm the offices of satire magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 and wounding 12 others. A different gunman kills a police officer the next day, then four more during a hostage-taking on January 9 at a kosher grocery. Police eventually shoot all three gunmen dead, but not before they claim allegiance to IS and al-Qaida.
Author: Cristina Burack
Attack on 'symbol of peace'
Shortly after the shooting and with the manhunt underway, authorities put the city center and other major sites, including a sports arena and the European Parliament, into lockdown. Hundreds of MEPs and officials were in the Parliament attending a plenary session when the attack began.
After midnight, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said MPs were able to leave the building at their own risk, as long as they were staying outside the city center. Any MPs headed toward the city center would need to be accompanied by police, he said.
Germany bolsters border controls
Police in the neighboring German state of Baden-Württemberg have reinforced border controls at the crossing into Strasbourg. Extra patrols were also put into place along the 30-kilometer (19-mile) stretch of French-German border encompassing Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.
The suspect has previous convictions in both France and Germany and has served time in prison, according to Castaner.
Strasbourg's Christmas market is a popular tourist destination, drawing millions of visitors every year. Mayor Roland Ries has said the Christmas market would remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
Multiple terrorist attacks have shaken France in recent years. Since 2015, more than 200 people have been killed in attacks inspired or commissioned by the Islamist terrorist group "Islamic State."
Nameless heroes in Paris
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The 3-meter-high glass and metal barrier is both bulletproof and strong enough to stop a truck on a suicide mission. France remains on a state of high alert since a series of terror attacks in 2015 left hundreds dead. (16.06.2018)
France honors 'hero' policeman who died in terrorist attack
Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltrame had offered himself in place of a woman whom the attacker was using as a human shield. The attacker, Redouane Lakdim, had been on a list of terror suspects since 2014. (28.03.2018)
Paris knife attack leaves four injured and two dead including attacker
Police in Paris killed a man after he stabbed others in the French capital. Judicial sources said the attacker had been on a police list as a risk to national security. (13.05.2018)
Paris knife attack: 2 killed, 1 seriously injured
A man has killed his mother and sister and seriously injured a passerby in a knife attack in the Paris suburb of Trappes. When he walked towards police with the knife, the attacker was shot dead. (23.08.2018)
France detains 6 over plot to attack Emmanuel Macron
French police have arrested six people over reported plans to stage a "violent" attack against President Emmanuel Macron. Security sources say the suspects are members of the radical far right. (07.11.2018)
The Strasbourg attack suspect's criminal past in Germany
German court documents show details about the life and criminality of the suspected Strasbourg gunman. French investigators say the suspect was radicalized in prison and was on a watch list. (12.12.2018)
France has been hit by several terror attacks since 2015, when "Islamic State" militants launched a brutal attack across Paris. Over the past three years, there have been other attacks, and close calls. (13.05.2018)
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Related Subjects European Parliament, Crime
Keywords Strasbourg, shooting, Christmas market, European Parliament
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