3 dead in terror attack at French Christmas market
STRASBOURG (AP) — French authorities on Wednesday detained five persons as they hunted for a suspected extremist who sprayed gunfire at one of Europe’s most famous Christmas markets in the eastern city of Strasbourg, killing three and wounding at least 13 and putting the whole country on the edge anew.
The government raised the security alert level and sent police reinforcements to Strasbourg, where some 350 security forces are searching for the assailant. Police officials said the suspect was wounded in a gunfight with soldiers after the Tuesday night attack but escaped, and a top official said he might have escaped to neighboring Germany.
The attacker is a 29-year-old with a police record in France and Germany who had been flagged for extremism, police said.
Police detained five persons in overnight searches around the city, Laurent Nunez, secretary of state for the Interior Ministry, said on France-Inter radio.
A terrorism investigation was opened, but the motive of the attack is unclear.
Nunez said eight of the injured are in serious condition, and the city mayor said some had head wounds.
Witnesses described shots and screams after the gunman opened fire at the Christmas market Tuesday evening in a city that is home to the European Parliament and considers itself a capital of Europe – and promotes itself as the “capital of Christmas.” For several hours swaths of the city were under lockdown.
The attack is a new blow to France, after a wave of Islamic extremist killings in 2015 and 2016, and amid a month of protests against President Emmanuel Macron that have blocked roads around the country, led to rioting in the capital and put heavy strain on police.
While authorities urged people in the area to stay inside after Tuesday’s attack, Strasbourg Mayor Roland Ries told BFM television on Wednesday that “life must go on” so that the city does not cede to a “terrorist who is trying to disrupt our way of life.”