Attack in Strasbourg: the assailant was shot dead by the police

Cherif Chekatt, the author of the Christmas market bombing in Strasbourg was killed by police on Thursday night in a neighborhood near the city center, after two days of stalking.

Cherif Chekatt, the author of Tuesday’s attack on the Christmas market in Strasbourg, was shot dead by police on Thursday night at around 9 pm in the Neudorf district, a source close to the case said. The man was shot dead at 74 rue du Lazaret where a very important police device was deployed, the same source said.

According to RTL, a crew of the territorial surveillance brigade of the Strasbourg police station found that Cherif Chekatt was trying to enter a building hall. The latter then opened fire on the police, who killed him by replying.

This was the second operation of the day after a previous intervention of the Raid in the afternoon, which had ended around 16:45. More than 720 members of the security forces had been looking for him since the attack and several police operations had already taken place in the Neudorf district of southern Strasbourg, where Chérif Chekatt grew up.

Tuesday night, this former detainee with a heavy judicial record, reported for his Islamist radicalization in prison, had entered the city’s historic center in the middle of the Christmas market, killing at least three people, a brain-dead person and eleven wounded. Five of them are in a state of absolute emergency, according to the report sent by the police headquarters.

Carrying a handgun and a knife, he then exchanged fire with the police, who wounded his arm before he managed to escape by taxi. Witnesses had heard him shout « Allah Akbar ».

« It is a real relief » reacted Alain Fontanel, 1st deputy mayor of Strasbourg on France Bleu Alsace « he killed three people and injured a dozen others, it was essential that he could be neutralized the as soon as possible.  »

The Christmas market closed for two days will reopen this Friday announced Christophe Castaner in the evening. « This reinforces our decision and the general direction that now consists of returning to a normal life after the terror that has seized the city and the amazement, » said Roland Ries, Mayor of Strasbourg on Franceinfo.

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Gabriel MIHAI

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