Hundreds of police and antiterror forces hunted on Wednesday for a gunman who shot three people dead and wounded 13 at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, with the suspect known to police and thought to be a religious extremist.
The attack took place at about 8pm on Tuesday in the heart of the mediaeval city in eastern France as the market was closing, sending crowds fleeing for safety.
The gunman who carried out the mass shooting cried “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) as he opened fire, France’s anti-terror prosecutor, Remy Heitz, said.
The suspect, a 29-year-old from the south of the city, was on a watch list of suspected extremists and was actively being hunted by security forces, officials said.
The man opened fire in three areas of the market, which draws hundreds of thousands of people to its wooden chalets selling festive decorations, wine and food.
Much of the centre of the city and the European parliament were locked down through the night as teams of police and soldiers searched for the gunman, who was reportedly armed with an automatic rifle and a knife.
The government has raised the security alert level for terrorism to its highest, reinforcing border controls and patrols around all Christmas markets across France.
Hundreds of police, two helicopters, officers from antiterror units and soldiers were mobilised on Wednesday to try find the suspect.
Strasbourg mayor Roland Ries said most of the victims were men, including a Thai tourist.
“Some were shot in the head,” he said.
The shooting spree comes as French leader Emmanuel Macron faces the biggest crisis of his presidency after three weeks of anti-government demonstrations stretched security forces.