France releases photo of terror suspect, want him dead or alive
SUMMARY
French police released a photo of the suspected gunman in Dec. 11, 2018's terror attack at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, as a 36-hour manhunt continues.
A lone gunman killed two people, left one brain dead, and injured 12 others in the attack, which took place when stallholders were preparing to close down around 8 p.m.
Police on Dec. 12, 2018, identified the suspect as Cherif Chekatt, a 29-year-old man born in Strasbourg. They released a photo of him on Dec. 12, 2018 in a call for witnesses.
They said that Chekatt is a "dangerous individual, do not engage with him."
Benjamin Griveaux, a spokesman for the French government, told the CNews channel that "it doesn't matter" whether police catch the suspect dead or alive, and that "the best thing would be to find him as quickly as possible."
A wanted poster published online by France's Police Nationale.
The notice was published in French, English, and German. Strasbourg sits on the border between France and Germany, and is home to the European Court of Human Rights.
Laurent Nuñez, the secretary of state for France's interior ministry, said that authorities cannot rule out the possibility that Chekatt escaped the country.
Officers identified him after the suspected shooter jumped in a taxi after the attack and bragged to the driver about it, authorities said.
Police said Chekatt was armed with a handgun and a knife when he opened fire on the Christmas market in Strasbourg.
He allegedly yelled "Allahu akbar" — Arabic for "God is great" — and exchanged gunfire with security forces.
Chekatt is known to have developed radical religious views while in jail, authorities said.
Police detained four people connected to Chekatt overnight in Strasbourg. Sources close to investigation told Reuters they were his mother, father, and two brothers.
This article originally appeared on Insider. Follow @thisisinsider on Twitter.