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French police release details of man wanted over Strasbourg shooting

Police in France have released the name and image of a man they are seeking in relation to a shoo...
Newstalk
Newstalk

18.43 12 Dec 2018


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French police release details...

French police release details of man wanted over Strasbourg shooting

Newstalk
Newstalk

18.43 12 Dec 2018


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Police in France have released the name and image of a man they are seeking in relation to a shooting at a Christmas market in Strasbourg.

At least two people were killed and another left brain dead following the incident on Tuesday evening.

A further 13 people were injured - six of them seriously.

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Police said 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt is suspected of being the shooter.

They said he is a "dangerous individual" and the public have been urged not to approach him.

Police said he was due to be arrested on Tuesday morning, while at the same time his home was searched.

The shooter, who opened fire with a handgun and used a knife to stab people, is still on the run after he was shot in the arm during a gunfight with police.

He escaped in a taxi and there are concerns he may have fled to Germany, where vehicles are now being checked at the border.

Chekatt has 27 convictions in France, Germany and Switzerland, prosecutor Remy Heitz said.

They include several serious cases of robbery.

Mr Heitz added that four people connected to him were detained overnight.

Chekatt was also one of 25,000 people on the "S file" security risk - reserved for people suspected of extremism.

He is said to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" before the attack.

"Considering the target, his way of operating, his profile and the testimonies of those who heard him yell 'Allahu Akbar', the anti-terrorist police has been called into action," Mr Heitz told reporters.

Strasbourg's mayor has also said the shooting was indisputably a terrorist attack.

French President Emmanuel Macron has held an emergency meeting at the presidential palace over the incident.

Additional reporting: IRN


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