Rescuers walk in the streets of Strasbourg, eastern France, after a shooting at a Christmas market, on December 11, 2018. (François D'Astier/AFP)
PARIS — Three people detained over an investigation into a Christmas market attack in Strasbourg that left five dead have been handed preliminary terrorism charges, a French judicial official said Saturday.
The judicial official, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about the investigation, wouldn’t name the three, who were arrested on Tuesday in Alsace, along with another two suspects who were freed without being charged the next day.
The judicial official on Saturday wouldn’t confirm French media reports that they are suspected of helping the gunman obtain the weapon he used to carry out the December 2018 assault.
The alleged killer, Cherif Chekatt, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. He died in a shootout with police two days after the December 11 attack.
This undated handout photo provided by French police shows Cherif Chekatt, the suspect in the shooting in Strasbourg, France, on December 11, 2018. (French Police via AP, File)
Chekatt, 29, had an extensive police record in France and Germany for crimes including armed robbery.
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