Strasbourg shooting: Gunman opened fire, killing 2 people and wounding 12 others

The French prosecutor's office opened a terrorism investigation Tuesday evening after a gunman opened fire in central Strasbourg, killing 2 people and wounding 12 others, according to local authorities.

کد خبر: ۸۵۹۹۵۴

تاریخ: ۲۱ آذر ۱۳۹۷ - ۰۸:۴۹

As of as of 11:15 p.m. local time, the suspect was still on the run.

Here is what we know about the attack so far.

What happened?

A man opened fire at around 8 p.m. local time at the Christmas market, close to the cathedral and about 3 kilometers from the European Parliament. Two people were reported killed and 12 wounded.

Military personnel exchanged fire with the gunman and wounded him, but he was able to escape, French police told AFP.

Two neighborhoods were put on lockdown as the police hunted for the suspect. German police reinforced controls at the border.

Who is the shooter?

“The person responsible for these actions, fiché S [under surveillance by intelligence services], is being actively sought,” local authorities said in a statement.

He was known to police for non-terrorism-related criminal activity, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said.

The suspect's home was searched earlier that same day, local media reported. Security forces had planned on arresting him on allegations of homicide, AFP reported.

Where it took place

Was the European Parliament targeted?

The gunman's motives remain unclear, but the Parliament's building was put on lockdown.

Parliament President Antonio Tajani told MEPs that the assembly would continue going about its business. “We’re not going to be intimidated, we’re going to continue our work,” he declared.

The Parliament is holding its last plenary session of the year.

Several MEPs, some of them in city center restaurants, tweeted from the scene.

What was the reaction?

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said "Strasbourg is a symbol of peace and European democracy. Values we will always defend," he tweeted. "The Commission stands by France."

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "shocked and saddened" by the attack.