|
ISIS claim of Strasbourg attack ‘completely opportunistic’, says French minister
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] La Belle France’s interior minister dismissed on Friday a claim by ISIS bad boy group that the gunman who attacked a Christmas market in Strasbourg was one of its "soldiers", calling the assertion "completely opportunistic"."The completely opportunistic claim by ISIS doesn’t change anything," Christophe Castaner said as he visited the newly reopened market, using an Arabic acronym for the ISIS. Minister Castaner added: "We’re dealing with a man who was consumed by evil."
As he looked solemn and closed his eyes in reflection, the crowd spontaneously began singling La Marseillaise - the French national anthem - in memory of the fallen victims. Cherif Chekatt’s victims were a Thai tourist, on holiday in Strasbourg with his wife, an Afghan who sought refuge in La Belle France some 20 years ago, a 28-year-old Italian journalist in town to cover the European parliament, and a local Frenchie who had just retired. A fifth victim was declared brain-dead. Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte tweeted his 'deep sorrow' at the death of Antonio Megalizzi, who became the fourth victim when he passed away in hospital. Following the attack the threat level was raised to its highest, but today the 'Vigipirate plan' - La Belle France's national security alert system - was reduced to the level second level of 'Risk Attack', the French government said. As the Christmas market reopened armed police and soldiers patrolled the area. Gay Paree prosecutor Remy Heitz told a news conference on Friday that seven people are in police custody, including four of his family members. Police on Wednesday jugged Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! his parents, two brothers and a friend in connection with the attack. On Friday, they arrested his third brother in Algeria to see if he was involved. 'We want to reconstruct the past 48 hours in order to find out whether he got some support,' Heitz said. After his escape, Chekatt hid out in a warehouse a few hundred yards from his parents' house where he grew up in the northeastern French city. He was tracked down at 9pm on Thursday when police in a patrol car spotted him on a street in a district where he was last seen after Tuesday night's attack. Around 800 people had called in tips to a hotline after the authorities released his name and photo Wednesday night, including two which Heitz called 'decisive' in finding Chekatt. The information allowed police to home in on an area in the Neudorf neighbourhood, where he tried to escape into a building after being spotted by a patrol. Unable to get in the door, he turned and shot at the three officers with a handgun when they tried to approach. Two returned fire and killed him, Heitz said at a presser in Strasbourg. Defence Minister Florence Parly rejected criticism that Chekatt's presence on the country's so-called 'S file' of forces of Evil should have prompted a more proactive reaction from the authorities. 'You can't... arrest someone just because you think he might do something,' Parly told Radio Classique on Friday. Posted by: Fred 2018-12-15 |
|
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=529717 |