French Minister of the Interior Christophe Castaner yesterday dismissed a claim by the Islamic State (IS) group that it was responsible for a shooting spree at a Christmas market in Strasbourg after the gunman was shot dead by police, ending a 48-hour manhunt.
The city yesterday reopened the market, with officials praising the massive public help and quick police reaction that led to the death of suspected shooter Cherif Chekatt late on Thursday.
He was tracked down at about 9pm when a police patrol spotted him on a street in a district where he was last seen after Tuesday night’s attack.
Photo: Reuters
About 800 people had called in tips to a hotline after the authorities released his name and photograph on Wednesday night, including two which France’s anti-terror prosecutor Remy Heitz called “decisive” in finding Chekatt.
The information allowed police to hone in on an area in the Neudorf neighborhood, where he tried to escape into a building after being spotted by a patrol.
Unable to open the door, Chekatt turned and shot at the three officers with a handgun, two of whom returned fire and killed him, Heitz told a news conference in Strasbourg.
Two more people were detained for questioning overnight, bringing the number in custody to seven, including Chekatt’s parents and two brothers, Heitz said.
Police are focusing their investigation on whether Chekatt had any help in carrying out his attack or while on the run, he added.
The lights on the market’s towering Christmas tree were illuminated yesterday for the first time since the attack, as Castaner visited stall owners and the hundreds of security personnel on site.
He dismissed as “completely opportunistic” a Twitter post by the IS propaganda wing that claimed Chekatt as one of its “soldiers.”
“We’re dealing with a man who was consumed by evil,” he said.
Questions remain over how Chekatt was able to evade the tight security perimeter set up around the market.
However, many residents were not convinced after Chekatt managed to slip through the controls with a handgun and a knife.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” said Emeline, who works in the city center. “You wear a heavy coat, put something in the bottom of your bag. You can bring in what you want.”
French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly yesterday rejected criticism that Chekatt’s presence on the country’s so-called “S file” of extremists should have prompted a more proactive reaction from the authorities.
“You can’t ... arrest someone just because you think he might do something,” Parly told Radio Classique.
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