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Strasbourg Christmas market terror attack trial starts

February 29, 2024

Four men are charged in connection with the deadly Christmas market attack in Strasbourg in 2018. Authorities say the suspects supplied the gunman with the weapons he used to kill five people in the rampage.

https://p.dw.com/p/4d0ee
A lawyer enters the Paris' courthouse where the Strasbourg attack trial is taking place.
The trial marks a key moment for survivors and relatives of victimsImage: Thibault Camus/AP Photo/picture alliance

Four men charged with terrorist conspiracy and weapons offenses for their role in the deadly 2018 Strasbourg Christmas market attack went on trial Thursday.

Cherif Chekatt killed five people and wounded 11 others when he opened fire on the open-air market in the northeastern French city. The 29-year-old was shot dead by police after a two-day manhunt.

One of his four alleged accomplices faces terrorism charges and could face life in prison, The other three face criminal conspiracy charges for their role in supplying weapons and could face 10-years inprisonment if convicted. 

A fifth accused did not appear for health reasons and would be tried separately later.

Trial a chance 'to heal'

Survivors and families of the deceased are expected to testify in the trial in a Paris court that is due to last until early April.

"One question keeps coming back to me: how can you kill someone like that," a now-retired firefighter who aided one of the victims, said outside the courtroom. He said he hope the trial provided the answers he needed "to heal."

Taxi driver Mostafa Salhane, center, arrive at the Paris' courthouse for the Strasbourg attack trial
The attacker hailed a taxi to flee after he opened fire on revellers. The driver attended the start of the trialImage: Thibault Camus/AP Photo/picture alliance

The attack "turned my whole life upside down. Everything I'd built up over the last few years collapsed like a house of cards," said Mostafa Salhane.

The 53-year-old former taxi driver spent 15 terrifying minutes with Chekatt as he climbed into his cab to flee the scene with a gun in hand. 

Five years after the attack Claude Lienhard, a lawyer for several dozen people, said he feared the investigation dragged on for too long.
"There's a fear that this will be a low-cost trial compared with other terror trials, as many feel they have been forgotten."

'Islamic State' connection

It is the latest legal process over the Islamist attacks that have hit France since 2015.

In December 2022, all eight defendants were found guilty of charges connected to the 2016 truck rampage on Nice's seaside boulevard during Bastille Day celebrations, which left 86 people dead. In June 2022, a Paris court convicted 20 suspects over their roles in the 2015 attack at the Bataclan concert hall, that left 130 people dead. 

The so-called "Islamic State" group claimed responsibility for the attacks. Following the attack on Strasbourg, investigators found a video in which Chekatt pledged allegiance to the "Islamic State."  

lo/wd (dpa, AFP)