Some 350 people, including police, troops and helicopters were on the heels of the attacker who had “sowed terror” in the city, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said.

The killer opened fire at around 8pm (1900 GMT) on one of the city’s busiest streets, sending crowds of evening shoppers fleeing for safety.

Castaner said the gunman had killed three people and wounded 12.

    Soldiers patrolling the area as part of regular anti-terror operations exchanged fire with the suspect and wounded him, but could not stop him escaping, police sources said. A soldier was slightly injured by a ricohet from a shot by the gunman.

Castaner also said France had raised its security alert level to “emergency attack” with “the implementation of reinforced border controls and tightened controls on all Christmas markets in France to avoid the risk of a copycat” attack.

The gunman has been identified and was on a watchlist of suspected extremists, a statement from local security services said.

France’s security forces, already on high alert after a series of terror attacks since 2015, are particularly stretched at the moment due to anti-government protests that have swept the country.

“I heard shooting and then there was pandemonium,” one witness, who gave his name as Fatih, told AFP. “People were running everywhere.”

He said he had seen three people injured on the ground only a few metres (feet) from the giant Christmas tree in the centre of the city.

Shortly after the shooting, lines of police vehicles and ambulances streamed into the market area, under festive lights declaring the city the “capital of Christmas.”

“We heard several shots, three perhaps, and we saw people running,” one witness told AFP, asking not to be named.

“One of them fell down, I don’t know whether it was because she was tripped up or if she was hit,” the witness said.

President Emmanuel Macron expressed on Twitter the solidarity of the whole nation after holding a crisis meeting with cabinet officials in Paris.

– Known to police –

Two separate security sources told AFP on condition of anonymity that the shooter was believed to be a 29-year-old from the city, whose name was given as Cherif, and who was set to be arrested on Tuesday morning.

He was being investigated over an attempted murder, one of the sources said.

Several areas neighbouring the Christmas market were sealed off on Tuesday night and residents were being told to stay indoors.

Many people took refuge in local restaurants and bars which pulled down their shutters.

“We let everyone inside, down into the wine cellar. They’re locked in there,” local restaurant owner Mouad, 33, told AFP.

A police source, again speaking on condition of anonymity, said security forces had opened fire in an area of the city where the suspect was thought to be hiding.

The source did not give the address and it was unclear if the shooter had been located.

Specialist anti-terror prosecutors have opened an investigation into the incident in Strasbourg, which lies on the border with Germany.

Several residents of the city have been detained in recent years for trying to reach jihadist groups in Syria, or have been arrested upon their return.

“Shocked and saddened by the terrible attack in Strasbourg. My thoughts are with all of those affected and with the French people,” British Prime Minister Theresa May wrote on Twitter.

– Tourist attraction –

The Strasbourg-based European Parliament was also on lockdown, with MEPs, staff and journalists unable to leave the building.

In a parliament bar usually reserved for MEPs, EU commissioners, powerful legislators and staffers huddled in small groups waiting for developments.

“Our first thought was for colleagues who had already made it to the centre of town, who are safe,” Belgian MEP Kathleen Van Brempt told AFP. “Now we just wait.”

The Christmas market in Strasbourg and the city’s illuminations are an annual attraction that draws hundreds of thousands of people.

Security has been stepped up in recent years after a series of attacks in France by Islamist gunmen and the Strasbourg market was long considered a possible target.

In 2016, a 23-year-old Tunisian killed 12 and injured 48 others when he ploughed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Special anti-terror army units have been deployed in Strasbourg, and soldiers and armed police are regularly seen patrolling among the 300 wooden Christmas market chalets.

Three years after groups of jihadists gunned down and blew up 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015, French counter-terror officials say their focus has shifted.

Rather than coordinated attacks, their main concern is attacks by “lone wolves” — self-radicalised individuals acting without links to terror groups such as Islamic State.

Most recently a 20-year-old Chechnya-born man went on a knife rampage in central Paris last May, killing one man and injuring four other people on a Saturday night.

A total of 246 people have been killed in terror attacks in France since 2015, according to an AFP toll.

Here is what we know about the attack:

​​​​​​– An hour of terror –

Around 7:50 pm (1850 GMT) Tuesday, a lone man opened fire several times in the centre of Strasbourg, which every year holds a Christmas market, drawing in huge crowds of shoppers and tourists.

    The suspect was quickly identified as a 29-year-old man born in Strasbourg and already known to the police.

He “sowed terror (…) at three points in the city,” Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said.

“Soldiers of the Sentinelle force used their weapons to try to intercept the assailant, and between 8:20 pm and 9:00 pm he twice confronted our security forces with systematic exchanges of fire,” he said, referring to soldiers deployed under the country’s anti-terror operation, in place since attacks in 2015.

In his attack, the man killed three people and wounded 11 others, five seriously and six slightly, before fleeing and rushing into a taxi, according to a source close to the investigation.

The taxi driver, unscathed, told police the suspect was injured.

The military reported that a soldier was also lightly wounded by the ricochet of a shot from the attacker.

The busy Christmas market site had been under close surveillance due to the high jihadist threat, especially since it was the target of a planned attack in December 2000.

– Known to security services –

The suspect was well known to the authorities and had been convicted in France and Germany and served his sentences, the minister said.

In 2016 he was flagged by anti-terrorist services, according to a source close to the investigation.

He had been reported by the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) intelligence agency during a visit to prison where he was noted for violence and religious proselytism, according to the source.

Before the attack on Tuesday, the fugitive was already wanted for armed robbery, according to a source close to the case, while another source said he was linked to an investigation of attempted homicide.

Earlier the same day, police had searched his home but found no trace of him.

While his precise motives remain to be established, the anti-terrorist prosecutor has found sufficient clues to open an investigation for “assassinations and attempted assassinations in connection with a terrorist enterprise”.

Paris public prosecutor Remy Heitz was due to speak on Wednesday, Castaner said.

– Troops and police –

Significant resources have been deployed to track down the fugitive.

On the ground, 350 people have been mobilised, including 100 police personnel supported by two helicopters, officers from elite units, and also soldiers of Operation Sentinelle, which protect sensitive places which could be terrorism targets, the minister said.

After raising the security alert level to “emergency attack”, the minister announced reinforced border controls.

Additional resources were also to be sent to Strasbourg which would be under strengthened surveillance.

Allegations that billions of dollars were taken from investment vehicle 1MDB and used to buy everything from a super-yacht to artworks played a major role in prompting voters to oust Najib’s long-ruling regime at May elections.

Najib has now been hit with a total of 39 charges since losing power, most related to his alleged role in looting 1MDB.

Other figures linked to the previous administration have also been hauled into court.

The latest charges focus on claims that Najib ordered a report on 1MDB by the government’s official audit body to be altered in February 2016, with the help of Arul Kanda, who was president and chief executive of the sovereign wealth fund at the time.

It was then presented to a parliamentary committee.

The government’s chief auditor said last month the audit had been changed to remove details about the fund’s true financial condition and to erase a mention of Low Taek Jho, a financier accused of masterminding the fraud, at a 1MDB board meeting.

Najib, 65, is accused of breaking laws that forbid officials from using their position for personal gain and faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted.

He pleaded not guilty and has denied all the charges against him so far.

Arul, being charged for the first time over the scandal, is accused of assisting Najib in altering the audit. He denied the allegation, and faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted.

Both suspects were released on bail of 500,000 ringgit ($120,000) each.

Namtip Ficho, chairwoman of the Association of Thai Provence, said she has been informed by the Association of Thai Students in France that Anupong Suebsamarn was killed in the shooting shortly after arriving in the country on holiday.

Namtip quoted the tourist’s wife, Naiyana Subesamarn, as saying that her slain husband was 45.

Naiyana had given the details while she waited at a hospital where her husband had been taken, said Namtip, adding that the Thai Embassy in Paris has been informed of the death.

The Thai ambassador is scheduled to travel to Strasbourg today (Wednesday) to help handle the legal process regarding the death.

French authorities said the gunman also wounded a dozen others before fleeing the scene.

A manhunt was under way after the killer opened fire at around 8pm local time (2am Bangkok time) on one of the city’s busiest streets, sending crowds of evening shoppers fleeing for safety. Soldiers patrolling the area as part of regular anti-terror operations exchanged fire with the suspect and wounded him, but could not stop him escaping, French police said.

A manhunt was under way after the killer opened fire at around 8pm (1900 GMT) on one of the city’s busiest streets, sending crowds of evening shoppers fleeing for safety.

Soldiers patrolling the area as part of regular anti-terror operations exchanged fire with the suspect and wounded him, but could not stop him escaping, police sources said.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said early Wednesday the gunman had killed three people and wounded 12. Earlier Mayor Roland Ries had given a toll of “four dead and a dozen wounded”.

Castaner also said France had raised its security alert level to “emergency attack” with “the implementation of reinforced border controls and tightened controls on all Christmas markets in France to avoid the risk of a copycat” attack.

The gunman has been identified and was on a watchlist of suspected extremists, a statement from local security services said.

France’s security forces, already on high alert after a series of terror attacks since 2015, are particularly stretched at the moment due to anti-government protests that have swept the country.

“I heard shooting and then there was pandemonium,” one witness, who gave his name as Fatih, told AFP. “People were running everywhere.”

He said he had seen three people injured on the ground only a few metres (feet) from the giant Christmas tree in the centre of the city.

Shortly after the shooting, lines of police vehicles and ambulances streamed into the market area, under festive lights declaring the city the “capital of Christmas.”

“We heard several shots, three perhaps, and we saw people running,” one witness told AFP, asking not to be named.

“One of them fell down, I don’t know whether it was because she was tripped up or if she was hit,” the witness said.

President Emmanuel Macron held a crisis meeting with cabinet officials in Paris shortly after midnight.

Known to police

Two separate security sources told AFP on condition of anonymity that the shooter was believed to be a 29-year-old from the city, whose name was given as Cherif, and who was set to be arrested on Tuesday morning.

He was being investigated over an attempted murder, one of the sources said.

Several areas neighbouring the Christmas market were sealed off on Tuesday night and residents were being told to stay indoors.

Many people took refuge in local restaurants and bars which pulled down their shutters.

“We let everyone inside, down into the wine cellar. They’re locked in there,” local restaurant owner Mouad, 33, told AFP.

A police source, again speaking on condition of anonymity, said security forces had opened fire in an area of the city where the suspect was thought to be hiding.

The source did not give the address and it was unclear if the shooter had been located.

Specialist anti-terror prosecutors have opened an investigation into the incident in Strasbourg, which lies on the border with Germany.

Several residents of the city have been detained in recent years for trying to reach jihadist groups in Syria, or have been arrested upon their return.

“Shocked and saddened by the terrible attack in Strasbourg. My thoughts are with all of those affected and with the French people,” British Prime Minister Theresa May wrote on Twitter.

Tourist attraction

The Strasbourg-based European Parliament was also on lockdown, with MEPs, staff and journalists unable to leave the building.

In a parliament bar usually reserved for MEPs, EU commissioners, powerful legislators and staffers huddled in small groups waiting for developments.

“Our first thought was for colleagues who had already made it to the centre of town, who are safe,” Belgian MEP Kathleen Van Brempt told AFP. “Now we just wait.”

The Christmas market in Strasbourg and the city’s illuminations are an annual attraction that draws hundreds of thousands of people.

Security has been stepped up in recent years after a series of attacks in France by Islamist gunmen and the Strasbourg market was long considered a possible target.

In 2016, a 23-year-old Tunisian killed 12 and injured 48 others when he ploughed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Special anti-terror army units have been deployed in Strasbourg, and soldiers and armed police are regularly seen patrolling among the 300 wooden Christmas market chalets.

Three years after groups of jihadists gunned down and blew up 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015, French counter-terror officials say their focus has shifted.

Rather than coordinated attacks, their main concern is attacks by “lone wolves” — self-radicalised individuals acting without links to terror groups such as Islamic State.

Most recently a 20-year-old Chechnya-born man went on a knife rampage in central Paris last May, killing one man and injuring four other people on a Saturday night.

A total of 246 people have been killed in terror attacks in France since 2015, according to an AFP toll.

As the first reports of the attack landed on smartphones, droves of EU attendees were on their way to dinner and parties but were stopped at the parliament exit doors by no-nonsense security guards.

“The lockdown will hold until there’s a resolution to what is going on outside,” a security official said, waving everyone back.

Inside, with the session still ongoing, things remained business as usual, at least initially.

In a show of solidarity European Parliament President Antonio Tajani insisted on keeping the plenary session open, and debate continued as planned until midnight (2300 GMT).

“This parliament will not be intimidated by terrorist or criminal attacks… We will continue to work, strengthened by freedom and democracy against terrorist violence,” Tajani told MEPs.

Tajani at 0100 GMT announced an evacuation plan in cooperation with French police, but news that MEPs would be given preference over staff and assistants caused an uproar.

“I am proposing that either everyone leaves or no one leaves,” said Edouard Martin, a French MEP.

The evacuation is especially tricky as the vast majority of EU parliament participants are from out of town, mainly Brussels, with thousands staying in hotels in the city.

When the news of the attack first broke, some responded angrily: “The lucky ones are back at their hotels,” complained one official as she took an elevator back to her office.

But as the night grew longer, proceedings began to resemble a snow day from school, with the stranded killing time in good cheer.

“I’m safe but my heart and condolences are with the victims of this atrocity. Vive la France!,” said British MEP Charles Tannock who was also under lockdown in the parliament building.

‘Now we just wait’

In a bar usually reserved for MEPs, EU commissioners, powerful legislators and staffers huddled in groups waiting for developments.

Some watched football matches on tablets, while wine corks popped and hors d’oeuvres, scavenged from committee meetings, were passed around.

Belgian MEP Kathleen Van Brempt said no one knew anything more than what was being heard on the news.

“Tonight is our delegation Christmas dinner at a restaurant in the centre. Our first thought was for colleagues who had already made it to town, who are safe.”

“Now we just wait,” she said.

As bottles emptied and hours passed, staffers settled down where they could, with some assistants camping out in committee rooms with pizza and drink.

“We need some music in here, this is so boring!” shouted one attendee.

In the packed canteen, senior socialist MEP Udo Bullman did the rounds greeting colleagues.

“As far as we know our folks safe… Please stay cautious,” he said on Twitter.

Green MEP Julia Reda was seen briefing colleagues on the latest parliamentary business as others surfed the internet for the latest developments in town.

“It’s surreal,” said Solange Helin-Villes, a spokeswoman for Social Democratic MEPS.

“We’ll see how we’re doing at 4am,” she added.

Lum Zawng, Nang Pu and Zau Jet were sentenced Friday to six months in prison and fined about $320 each for defaming the military after helping organise a demonstration in Kachin state’s capital Myitkyina in April.

They were highlighting the plight of thousands of civilians trapped by the fighting between the military and ethnic Kachin insurgents in one of the world’s longest-running civil wars.

On Tuesday demonstrators, many with faces painted in Kachin’s red and green colours, held banners aloft and chanted slogans against the activists’ imprisonment and the judiciary.

“We demand the authorities release our people immediately,” protest leader Naw Aung told AFP after the march, which wound its way to the city’s main stadium.

The organisers said some 4,000 people took part in the demonstration, including many languishing in around 30 displacement camps around the city.

Police gave AFP a more conservative estimate of 1,700 participants, although acknowledged that more people joined later.

The EU and rights groups have urged Myanmar’s government to quash the convictions and release all three activists.

The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, described the jail terms given to the activists as “wholly unacceptable”.

“This is yet another case in which the Myanmar government is failing to uphold human rights and democratic principles, and is using an archaic law that is contrary to accepted human rights principles as a weapon against human rights defenders,” she said.

Rebels have clashed with the powerful military for more than six decades in restive Kachin state over autonomy, ethnic identity, drugs, jade and other natural resources.

Fighting surged dramatically this year, forcing thousands to flee to camps in remote parts of the state with inadequate access to aid.

More than 106,000 people are still living in camps across Kachin and Shan states, their plight recently overshadowed by the separate Rohingya crisis in western Rakhine state.

Police launched a manhunt after the killer opened fire at around 8pm local time (1900 GMT) on one of the city’s busiest streets, sending crowds of evening shoppers fleeing for safety.

Soldiers patrolling the area as part of regular anti-terror operations exchanged fire with the suspect and injured him, but could not stop him escaping, police sources said.

The gunman has been identified and was on a watchlist of suspected extremists, a statement from local security services said.

Shortly after the shooting, lines of police vehicles and ambulances streamed into the market area, under festive lights declaring the city the “capital of Christmas.”

An AFP reporter saw paramedics load one victim into the back of an ambulance on a stretcher.

“We heard several shots, three perhaps, and we saw people running,” one witness told AFP afterwards, asking not to be named.

“One of them fell down, I don’t know whether it was because she was tripped up or if she was hit,” the witness said.

Police said six of the 12 injured were in critical condition.

Two separate security sources told AFP on condition of anonymity that the shooter was believed to be a 29-year-old from the city who was set to be arrested on Tuesday morning.

He was being investigated over an attempted murder, one of the sources said.

Several areas neighbouring the Christmas market were sealed off on Tuesday night and residents were being told to stay indoors.

A police source, again speaking on condition of anonymity, said that security forces had opened fire in an area of the city where the suspect was thought to be hiding.

Specialised anti-terror prosecutors have opened an investigation into the incident in Strasbourg, which lies on the border of Germany.

Tourist attraction

The Strasbourg-based European Parliament was also on lockdown after reports of the shooting emerged, with MEPs, staff and journalists unable to leave the building, an AFP reporter said.

The parliament was in plenary session, with hundreds of MEPs and officials having made the monthly visit to Strasbourg from Brussels.

The Christmas market in Strasbourg and the city’s illuminations are an annual tourist attraction that draw hundreds of thousands of people.

Security has been stepped up in recent years after a series of attacks in France by Islamist gunmen and the Strasbourg market was long considered a possible target.

In 2016, a 23-year-old Tunisian killed 12 and injured 48 others when he ploughed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Special anti-terror army units have been deployed in Strasbourg and soldiers and armed police are regularly seen patrolling among the 300 wooden Christmas market chalets.

The shooting on Tuesday comes at a time when French security fores are stretched after more than three weeks of anti-government demonstrations.

Nearly 90,000 police were deployed on Saturday for the fourth round of protests by so-called “yellow vests” which led to violence in many cities.

Three years after groups of jihadists gunned down and blew up 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015, French counter-terror officials say their focus has shifted.

Rather than coordinated attacks, their main concern is attacks by “lone wolves” — self-radicalised individuals acting without links to terror groups such as Islamic State.

Most recently a 20-year-old Chechnya-born man went on a knife rampage in central Paris last May, killing one man and injuring four other people on a Saturday night.

A total of 246 people have been killed in terror attacks in France since 2015, according to an AFP toll.

Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, is wanted by US authorities for violating Iran sanctions but Beijing has expressed outrage over her detention and is holding a former Canadian diplomat in China, intensifying the row.

“The risk of (Meng’s) non-attendance in court can be reduced to an acceptable level by imposing the bail conditions proposed by her counsel,” a judge in Vancouver said, prompting the courtroom packed with her supporters to erupt in cheers.

The list of strict conditions of her release pending the outcome of the extradition case is lengthy, and includes the surrender of her passports and electronic monitoring.

She was expected to be released shortly, and will be allowed to stay at a luxury home owned by her husband Liu Xiaozong in Vancouver.

Meng is accused of lying to bankers about the use of a covert subsidiary to sell to Iran in breach of sanctions. If convicted, she faces more than 30 years in prison.

The extradition process, scheduled to start on February 6, could take months, even years, if appeals are made in the case.

The United States must submit details of the accusations for the Canadian court to consider.

Earlier Tuesday the three-way diplomatic stand-off over her arrest intensified with the news that China had detained Canadian national Michael Korvig.

The former diplomat once served in Beijing but was there on unpaid leave.