Two people have been killed and 14 others injured in a shooting incident in the northeastern French city of Strasbourg, near one of the oldest and biggest Christmas markets in Europe.

The suspect had engaged police in a shootout before fleeing the scene and is still on the run. The attack took place at a Christmas market at Kleber Square, a UNESCO world heritage site located in Strasbourg’s old city.

At least 2 dead, 11 injured following shooting near #Strasbourg Christmas market pic.twitter.com/hWEKDhzbYN — Ruptly (@Ruptly) December 11, 2018

The entire Great Island (Grande Ile), where the historic center of the city is located, was cordoned off by the police. All bars and restaurants located in the area were closed with visitors and tourists instructed to stay inside. The investigators soon treated the tragedy as a terrorist incident.

Des policiers cherchent les douilles au sol dans ma rue, un voisin les renseigne depuis son balcon #Strasbourgpic.twitter.com/kc55FGVyHd — Poussard Bruno (@PoussardBruno) 11 декабря 2018 г.

The French Interior Ministry urged the public to remain indoors amid what it called a “serious security event” in the city. A video posted on social media shows people injured in the shooting lying on the street.

Breaking: Reports of possible shots fired at the city center of Strasbourg, France. pic.twitter.com/H90Rhn7465 — PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) December 11, 2018

Following the incident, the city was put on lockdown. As a precaution, the European Parliament building was also closed. The local media reported that public transport was not working.

Part of Strasbourg city center evacuated because of shooter close to Christmas market. Soldiers we talked to mentioned five wounded. pic.twitter.com/fkgAgjxqVI — Maximilian Hofmann (@maxhofmann) 11 декабря 2018 г.

The shooter, who was still on the run on Wednesday morning, was identified by authorities. They believe their target – listed on the ‘Fiche S’ list of potential security threats – was born in 1989 in Strasbourg and may have been radicalized only recently. He was to be arrested Tuesday morning in connection with a homicide-robbery case, but when investigators arrived at his home he was not there. Grenades were found during the search, according to French media.

The search and response brigade BRI, as well as the RAID, two French specialized intervention units, were immediately engaged in the search for the shooter, assisted by helicopters deployed to track him down from the air.

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The assailant entered the perimeter of the Christmas market via the Corbeau bridge at around 8 pm local time, armed with an automatic weapon. After opening fire on the crowd, he then fled the scene and, according to some reports, was wounded by a Sentinelle soldier strike team during his escape. The shooter was later located in the district of Neudorf, where exchanges of fire were heard around 10pm local time, yet he apparently managed to escape once again.

The attack left two people dead and 14 wounded, some critically. One person was described by the French authorities as “brain-dead” after the attack. Previously, the local prefecture had reported that four or three people had been killed in the shooting.

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