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Strasbourg shooter Cherif Chekatt is dead, police confirm

French police release photo of Strasbourg shooter Cherif Chekatt
French police release photo of Strasbourg shooter Cherif Chekatt Copyright  Reuters
Copyright Reuters
By Amy Chung
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Strasbourg shooter Cherif Chekatt is dead, police confirm

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Suspected Strasbourg shooter Cherif Chekatt has been killed by police.

Chekatt, 29, killed three people and injured around a dozen more after he opened fire at a Christmas market in Strasbourg on Tuesday evening.

What we know so far

What we know about the victims

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Thursday that three police officers had stumbled across a man they believed to be Chekatt on rue du Lazaret, in the neighbourhood of Neudorf in Strasbourg. At around 9 pm, police called out to stop him and that's when he began shooting. Police returned fire and Chekatt was shot and "neutralised."

On Tuesday, the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he opened fire and is said is said to have been radicalised while he was in prison.

Chekatt was born in Strasbourg and was known to police. He had 27 convictions for crimes including robbery in France, Germany and Switzerland.

Police searched his apartment in Neudorf and found an array of ammunition, rifles, grenades and knives.

Amaq, the media arm of the so-called Islamic State group, described Chekatt as one of its "soldiers", without providing evidence.

Around 700 police officers in France and Germany were dispatched to look for Chekatt, who was injured during a gunfight with police on Tuesday.

This is the location where Chekatt was killed by police

French authorities called this "the end of the hunt" after Chekatt was on the run for two days.

The Strasbourg Christmas market was closed after the shooting but will reopen on Friday.

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