Witnesses described scenes of panic and shock as a gunman opened fire and stabbed passersby at the famous Christmas market in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday evening. The attack, which occurred around 7:50 pm in the narrow shopping lanes near the city's historic cathedral, left two people dead and one brain-dead in a coma. Six others were seriously injured, and six more sustained minor injuries.
A 20-year-old waiter who witnessed the attack said, “It lasted for minutes, but in my head it felt like hours.” He recounted hearing gunshots and seeing people screaming and running. He assisted in giving first aid, along with nurses who were dining in the restaurant where he worked. The alleged gunman, identified by authorities as Chérif Chekatt, was born and raised in Strasbourg and had been flagged for radicalisation while in prison. He had 27 previous convictions for robbery and violence in France, Germany, and Switzerland.
During the attack, the gunman shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he moved through the streets, shooting and stabbing victims at three different locations. He also fired at soldiers from Operation Sentinelle, who returned fire and wounded him in the hand. Police also fired at the suspect. After about ten minutes, the wounded gunman hailed a taxi to the Neudorf area of the city.
On the journey, the gunman boasted to the taxi driver that he had killed ten people in the attack and claimed he had a grenade at his home. The driver reported this to police, leading them to connect the incident with a search earlier that day. Police had searched Chekatt's flat and found a grenade, a gun, ammunition, and four hunting knives. Despite a massive manhunt and monitoring of the nearby German border, the gunman remained at large more than twelve hours after the attack.
The city centre was placed on lockdown as police searched for the suspect. The Christmas market, a major tourist attraction, had been crowded with locals and visitors when the violence erupted.
