Parents and brothers of Strasbourg gunman released
Three others still being held as French authorities hunt for anyone who may have helped Cherif Chekatt carry out attack on Christmas market that left four dead
French policemen patrol during the reopening of the Christmas Market of Strasbourg, in eastern France, on December 14, 2018. (SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)
PARIS, France — Four family members of the gunman who went on a deadly shooting spree at a popular Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg were released from custody on Saturday, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
Three more people close to the attacker Cherif Chekatt, who was shot dead by police on Thursday, were still being held, it said.
But his parents and two of his brothers were freed as there was nothing to incriminate them at this stage, the prosecutor’s office said.
More than 700 French security forces had been hunting for 29-year-old Chekatt since Tuesday night’s shooting, in which four people died — the latest in a string of jihadist attacks to rock France.
French police officers stand guard near the scene of a shooting in Strasbourg, eastern France, December 11, 2018. (Abdesslam MIRDASS/AFP)
France’s interior minister on Friday dismissed a claim by the Islamic State group that it was responsible for the attack.
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Police have been focusing their investigation on whether Chekatt had any help in carrying out his attack or while on the run.
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