Four suspects in connection with the 2018 Strasbourg Christmas market terrorist attack will go on trial today. A gunman killed five people and injured 11 others in the attack, which was later claimed by Islamic State.
Cherif Chekat, 29, who was born and raised in the city, opened fire with a 19th-century revolver in the historic center on December 11.
Over the course of 10 minutes, Chekat attacked passersby with a gun and knife at three locations in the shadow of the cathedral at a Christmas market visited by millions of tourists each year.
Chekat had a long criminal record with more than 20 convictions for theft and assault, had spent several years in prison and was on a watch list for radicalized ex-prisoners.
After the attack, he hailed a taxi south of the city. After a 48-hour search for him, he was killed in a gunfight with police.
Four French men, aged between 34 and 43, will stand trial in Paris. Stephane Bodain, Frederic Bodain and Christian Hoffmann are accused of helping to procure weapons.
Among the defendants, only Chekat’s former cellmate, Audrey Mongehi Kpanhau, 43, has been charged with terrorism and could face life in prison. He is accused of finding the gun and playing a key role in recognizing and sharing Chekat’s radical beliefs. His lawyer said he should not be convicted just because Chekat is no longer here to respond to the attack.
A fifth man, aged 84, did not appear in court due to health reasons and is likely to be tried separately at a later date.
The trial will hear testimony from survivors and families of those killed, including a father who fled Afghanistan and was visiting the market with his children, as well as a Thai tourist. Dozens of survivors suffered life-altering injuries and psychological trauma.
One survivor, who now works as a teacher in Paris, said the attack had changed her life forever after two of her friends were shot in front of her.
A woman in her 30s, who asked to remain anonymous, described how she had just submitted her doctoral thesis and was working as a student journalist at the European Parliament’s radio station in Strasbourg.
In the city, she was hosting a young French-Polish broadcasting colleague in the European Parliament, Bartosz Piotr Orent Niederselski, known as Bartek. They were accompanied by Italian journalist Antonio Megalizzi, 28, who also works on the European Parliament project, and another female student journalist.
She said: “We were working early in the morning and the bar tech said, “Let’s go to the Christmas market.” I went there, passed the baggage check, went through the baggage check, browsed the market stands looking for a present for my boyfriend or girlfriend, and headed home. ”
The four took selfies in front of the Christmas tree in the central square.
The woman said she was walking down a narrow street when she stopped to look at a pharmacy window decorated with teddy bears, and her female friend also stopped.
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The two continued walking until they were a meter away. She said: “At that moment, I saw the gunman standing with his back to the wall, raised his arm, had a gun and fired. I saw the men fall to the ground.”
She said she was completely numb and couldn’t feel her body, but then rushed to the scene, dragging her frozen female friend with her. She spoke of her confusion when she ran into a restaurant to hide.
Orent-Niedezelski and Megalizzi died in hospital a few days later.
“They were two kind people, always smiling and loved life,” she said. “My world fell apart because of the injustice and guilt that had begun. Why did I stop and look through that window?”
She said: “I can say it was terrifying because I saw terrorism with my own eyes. I saw a young man my age, born and raised in France, shoot two people in the street and see two people lose their lives right in front of my eyes. was the most violent event I have ever seen in my life. How did we get here? , I want to support respect for others.”
She said: “After the attack, I always felt so alone. I was angry that people around me didn’t understand. Now I know they won’t fully understand and that’s a big I realized that it was causing loneliness.”
Paul Latouche, a lawyer for some of the survivors, said: “This trial is a fundamental step in the grieving process and recovery. Strasbourg is the capital of Europe and the stakes of this trial go beyond France’s borders.”
