Strasbourg attack suspect killed after gun battle with police: French officials

Suspected gunman Cherif Chekatt has been killed in a brief gun battle with the police after killing three people in a Christmas market attack in the French city of Strasbourg. He had evaded arrest for 48 hours.

A big police operation was launched in the the Neudorf/Meinau area of the city on Thursday, leading to the death of the suspected attacker. Chekatt was killed some two kilometers away from the Tuesday attack site.

According to Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, the suspect fired on police officers after they identified him and moved to arrest him. The police returned fire and killed Chekatt.

Local sources reported hearing three to four shots after armed police units launched a helicopter-backed operation at the site.

Earlier that day, masked police officers had launched operations in three different locations in Strasbourg, including an area where Chekatt had last been seen. The site of his death was not far-off from there.

Overall, more than 700 officers had taken part in the 48-hour manhunt.

Police on both sides of the Europe bridge, which links France to Germany across the Rhine river, had manned controls in search of the alleged shooter, creating heavy traffic.

The Tuesday attack, which raised France's security threat assessment to its highest level, caused much panic in the French city with officials urging residents to stay indoors.

The European Parliament, which is about a 20 minute walk away from the city center, was put under lockdown before being evacuated by French authorities.

The attack also posed a threat to political envoys present in the vicinity.

The 29-year-old suspect had been previously marked as a potential threat on a state security watchlist. French authorities claim the man had turned to religious extremism while spending time behind bars.

Chekatt had previously been incarcerated in French, German and Swiss jails for theft and violence.

Daesh claims responsibility 

Also on Thursday, the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group reclaimed the attack on its Amaq news website, stating that the man had "carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of coalition countries.”

The group, however, provided no further evidence to back the claim.

France has witnessed deadly terror attacks in recent years, most notably a string of coordinated attacks in and around the capital of Paris that killed 130 people in November 2015.

A total of more than 245 people have been killed on French soil over the past three years in attacks launched by extremist individuals inspired and in some cases trained by militant groups such as Daesh.

PressTV-Three killed in hostage-taking by Daesh in France

At least three people have been killed in a hostage-taking at a supermarket in the southern French city of Trebes.

Many observers believe France's negative role in destabilizing the Middle East and lacking effort in preventing French citizens from joining terrorist groups in the region have played a role in eroding the country's own security.

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