Three people were killed and 13 injured when an attacker opened fire at a Christmas market Tuesday.<\/b>
\nThe suspect behind a mass shooting in Strasbourg, France, remained at large as the government upped its security risk to the highest level possible and warned of the threat of further violence.
Three people were killed and 13 wounded\u2014eight seriously\u2014when the 29-year-old gunman opened fire on crowds near Strasbourg\u2019s Christmas market Tuesday. He was wounded in an exchange of fire with a passing army patrol and was believed to have fled in a taxi, ordering the driver to take him out of the city.
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The Strasbourg-born suspect\u2014named by Reuters as Cherif Chekatt\u2014was already known to the country\u2019s security services, and just hours before the attack, his home was raided in connection with an armed robbery and attempted murder, The Guardian reported. Explosives were found on the property.
When the gunman opened fire at around 8 p.m., authorities quickly realized it was the same man. Laurent Nu\u00f1ez, secretary of state for the interior ministry, said it was too early to suggest a motive but said a terrorism investigation had been opened.
Chekatt fired at least three volleys at the market crowds, then engaged in at least two seperate exchanges of fire with patrolling soldiers\u2014put onto the streets as part of a nationwide security operation introduced after a series of terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015.
Nu\u00f1ez noted the failed arrest may have been one reason for the attack, and noted the attacker had spent time in prison in Germany and France, and was believed to have been religiously radicalized during his time behind bars.
According to The Associated Press, a spokeswoman for Germany\u2019s interior ministry, Eleonore Petermann, said Chekatt had been deported to France in 2017, and his freedom of movement in the European Union had been curtailed.
Chekatt was on the national \u201cFiche S\u201d register, a list of people considered a potential risk to national security, The Guardian reported. Such threats include suspected Islamist extremists, major criminals and political militants.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the suspected attacker was \u201cnotorious\u201d and has an extensive criminal record. \u201cRight now, the terrorist motive for this attack has not been established, and I would advise extreme caution over this,\u201d the minister explained. \u201cThe hunt is taking place and the priority is to find this attacker.\u201d
Early Wednesday morning, Castaner announced the government had raised its security level to the highest possible, imposing border controls with neighboring Germany. Officials admitted that Chekatt might already have escaped across the border, the BBC added.
Roughly 350 officers are involved in the search for the gunman. Five people have already been arrested in overnight raids linked to the attacker. Police cut off major roads in and out of Strasbourg overnight in an effort to trap the gunman, who seems to have slipped through.<\/p>\n