Around 8pm on December 11, 2018, Chekatt, who had a history of criminal convictions and was under surveillance as a potential national security threat, entered the historic center of Strasbourg carrying a revolver and a knife.
He evaded the area by boarding a taxi, eventually being apprehended by police following a 48-hour search. The Islamic State (IS) group asserted responsibility for the assault, and a video pledging allegiance to the group was discovered at Chekatt’s residence. However, the former French interior minister, Christophe Castaner, questioned the claim, suggesting that the group was falsely taking credit for an attack it had not orchestrated.
The five individuals who lost their lives were:
- Antonio Megalizzi, a 29-year-old Italian journalist
- Barto Pedro Orent-Niedzielski, a 36-year-old Strasbourg musician of Polish origin
- Anupong Suebsamarn, 45, who was a Thai national on holiday with his wife
- Kamal Naghchband, a garage mechanic who was originally from Afghanistan
- Pascal Verdenne, a retired bank worker aged 61 from Strasbourg
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