A relieved Strasbourg reopened its popular Christmas market on Friday, with President Emmanuel Macron set to visit the city a day after French police shot dead a gunman who killed three people at the market late on Tuesday.
Chérif Chekatt was killed late Thursday after a two-day manhunt when a police patrol spotted him on a street in the district where he was last seen after Tuesday night’s attack on Christmas shoppers.
The lights on the market’s towering Christmas tree were illuminated Friday for the first time since the attack ahead of the official re-opening of the market at 11:00am (10:00 GMT).
“I hope life will get back to normal but I’m not too sure,” said Franck Hoffmann, as he opened his wooden chalet offering Christmas candles and ornaments.
“Business isn’t going to be what it was,” he predicted.
Questions remained over how Chekatt was able to evade the tight security perimeter set up for an event long known to be a prime target for jihadist groups.
Around 500…
