STRASBOURG SHOOTING
Where is Strasbourg, how many people died in the Christmas Market shooting and where was the suspect shot dead?
A MANHUNT has ended in the death of a gunman who opened fire at Strasbourg Christmas market, killing five and leaving several more fighting for their lives.
Here's what we know about the fatal shooting in the French city.
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Where is Strasbourg?
Strasbourg is a city in north-east France and lies on the German border.
The capital of the Grand Est region is also the formal seat of the European Parliament.
Strasbourg's Christmas market is one of the oldest in Europe and attracts two million visitors every year.
There was an Al-Qaeda plan to bomb the Christmas market at the foot of the cathedral during the Christmas celebrations of 2000.
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What happened at the shooting and how many people died?
A gunman opened fire at Strasbourg Christmas market at around 8pm on the night of December 11, 2018, killing five people and wounding 13.
The first victim has been named as Anupong Suebsamarn, 45, from Thailand.
Local media in the country reported he was on holiday with his wife Naina and another couple at the time of the attack.
An Afghan mechanic living in Strasbourg was left in a coma and is being kept alive on life support.
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Terror cops and soldiers cornered the suspect in a shop after the shooting but he slipped through their fingers after hijacking a taxi at gunpoint.
Prosecutor Remy Heitz told a press conference that investigators believed the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar" and warned: "Terrorism has hit our country again".
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Who are the victims?
- Barto Pedro Orent-Niedzielski died at about 6pm local time on Sunday (17:00 GMT). He had spent five days in a coma and never recovered. His family had kept him on life support so that those close to him could come to say goodbye at the Hautepierre hospital in the city.
- Kamal Naghchband was a garage mechanic originally from Afghanistan. The father of three had been visiting the market with his family and was shot in the head.
- Anupong Suebsamarn, 45, was a Thai national on holiday with his wife.
- Antonio Megalizzi, a 29-year-old Italian journalist, was critically injured in the attack and his death was announced three days later.
- A retired bank worker aged 61, from Strasbourg, also died - the victim has not yet been named.
At least 10 others remain injured - some with serious wounds.
Who's the suspect and where was he when he was killed?
Police sources named the gunman as 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt, who was already known to the security services as a possible terrorist threat.
France’s Interior Minister Christophe Castaner confirmed that Paris prosecutors had opened a terrorism enquiry.
The suspect was well known to police as a violent criminal with 27 previous convictions.
He was on a "S" for Security List, meaning he was a danger to national security, and is believed to have been "radicalised", according to Interior Ministry sources.
The gunman was killed on Thursday evening after a shootout with police in the Neudorf area of Strasbourg.
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Hundreds of cops were involved in a manhunt that had taken them across the German border before police attempted to arrest a man fitting the subject's description in Strasbourg.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the suspect turned around and opened fire on police - with them responding and killing him.
Soon after the suspect was shot dead by police, Isis reportedly claimed he was a "soldier" of the group.
The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity online, said the Islamic State group’s Amaq news agency claimed the Strasbourg gunman was a “soldier” of the group.
It is believed he went on the shooting spree "to avenge his dead brothers in Syria".
Strasbourg Christmas market attacker Cherif Chekatt 'supported ISIS', claims his own dad
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