(PARIS) – A MAN who shot dead three and injured many others at a Christmas Market has been killed, ending his 48-hours on the run.
Cherif Chekatt, a radical Islamist was killed in the Neudorf/Meinau of Strasbourg, he was initially thought to have escaped to neighbouring Germany.
Chekatt, 29 was killed after firing on brave terror cops who returned fire, one of the sources said.
Reporters near the scene heard three to four gunshots after a huge police operation with armed forces from the BRI and RAID units. A police helicopter had been circling overhead.
The death toll from Tuesday’s attack rose to three as police on Thursday combed the city in the east of France for a second day and manned checkpoints on the German border.
Police issued a wanted poster in multiple languages for Chekatt, who was wanted DEAD or ALIVE.
Authorities say the 29-year-old was known to security services and was said to have developed radical religious views while in jail.
Chekatt, 29, shouted “Allah Akbar” during the attack, according to Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz.
“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,” Heitz said Wednesday.
Earlier in the day armed and masked police swooped on Strasbourg neighbourhoods with elite RAID officers fanning out across three locations in late afternoon, including the area where Chekatt was last seen.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said Chekatt’s parents and two brothers were being held in custody.
Two of his sisters in Paris were also questioned on Thursday and one of their homes was searched, a judicial source said.
Parts of this article courtesy of Reuters