(Newswire.net — December 12, 2018) — At the Christmas market in downtown Strasbourg, there was a shootout. According to the BBC, one person was killed and 11 more were seriously injured. The shooter who was perpetrating the attack was identified as an assailant previously known to the police as a security risk and is now on the run.
The police organized a massive manhunt and are searching for the killer.
Member of the European Parliament, Martina Anderson, tweeted she was at the market and heard gun shots. Other witnesses posted photos on social networks showing police forces on the spot securing the area of the attack.
The incident happened near the Christmas Market, at one of the central squares, Kleberg. One video reportedly shot a few seconds after the attack, shows people fleeing from the scene of the assault. Reportedly, four bystanders were killed and 11 more were injured in the deadly attack.
According to Emmanuel Foulon, the European Parliament spokesman, shots were fired in the city’s central market and then panic occurred. He added that armed police forces flooded the streets.
The BBC cited the witness who heard the shooting and soon saw an injured man lying on the bridge. The witness said that he tried to reanimate the injured man, but he was unsuccessful and the man died.
In his public addressing the Interior Affairs Minister said that the attacker was previously known to the police and labeled as the security risk. He has called on citizens to stay indoors because of a “serious security incident”.
Local newspapers reported there were dozens of injured people on the street in the city center, which was crowded due to the approaching Christmas Holidays. The first reports were of one or two injured people, but soon the number of wounded could no longer be counted.
Social networks are sharing images taken after the attack that show bodies lying on the streets. Screams and the sound of an ambulance siren can be heard on videos.
The attacker was identified as a 29-year-old assailant whose apartment was searched earlier this week in a robbery investigation. It is suspected that the attacker is a Muslim extremist, but the motive of the attack has not yet been established.