Chérif Chekatt

French criminal killer who opened fire at the Strasbourg Christmas market on 11 December 2018. The killer left the area by taxi and remained at large during two days.

The shooter entered the area through Pont du Corbeau, then went through Rue des Orfèvres, opening fire in three different locations, first at Carré-d'Or (rue des Orfèvres), then rue des Grandes-Arcades. The shooting lasted for ten minutes and took place across multiple streets, during which time Chekatt was heard crying "Allahu Akbar" as he shot at the crowd, and is reported to have also been attacking people with a knife. He then exchanged fire with soldiers of Opération Sentinelle, and then of the National Police; a soldier was hit in the hand, and Chekatt was himself shot in the arm. A 45-year-old Thai tourist was hit in the head in front of a restaurant and died, despite passersby attempting to resuscitate him; ambulances took over 45 minutes to arrive. The shooter then escaped in direction of Neudorf and Place de l'Étoile, taking a taxi cab; the driver was unharmed and reported to the police having taken an armed and wounded man. His testimony allowed the police to identify the gunman, as he bragged about killing people and having a grenade at home.

By the next day, three people had died, while 12 were wounded, with six remaining in critical condition. Chekatt comes from an Algerian family and grew up in Strasbourg. He was known to the security services in France, Germany and Switzerland for 27 petty crimes. After his release from prison in France in 2015, he received a prison sentence for theft in Singen, Germany, and was expelled to France after his release in 2017.

On the evening of 13 October 2018 he was recognized by police walking on the street in a Strasbourg suburb. In an exchange of shots he was killed.