The suspected jihadist, who is on the run, allegedly developed radical views while serving a string of prison sentences in three European countries. He has 27 criminal convictions. France has raised its security threat to the highest level in response to the shooting rampage, which Strasbourg’s mayor said was indisputably an act of terrorism.
Laurent Wauquiez, head of the right-wing Les Républicains opposition party, said on Twitter: “How many more attacks committed by people on the government’s terror watchlist do we need to suffer before adapting our counter-terrorism laws to the current threat?
“What are we waiting for to at last go into battle against [Islamic] fundamentalism, which has declared war on us?”
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen mirrored Mr Wauquiez’s comments, saying that the Macron government was not doing enough to stop terrorism.
“The government has failed to take the necessary measures to fight against Islamic fundamentalism,” Mrs Le Pen told France 2 television, before calling for all foreigners on the government’s official terrorism watchlist – the “Fiche S” – to be deported.
“A radical change is called for, because the government’s policy to combat terrorism is obviously flawed,” she tweeted on Tuesday.
Government, spokesman Benjamin Griveaux, for his part, said that opposition leaders should not try to play politics at the time of such a grave event.
The death toll in the attack on Strasbourg’s popular Christmas market rose to three on Thursday as police combed through eastern France and manned checkpoints on the German border in a frantic hunt for the fugitive gunman.
Police have issued a wanted poster for Chérif Chekatt, the main suspect in the attack, who was on the “Fiche S” watchlist.
He had been under surveillance as a potential security risk since 2016 after French prison services raised questions about his suspected radicalisation.
Authorities say the 29-year-old was known to have developed radical religious views while serving prison sentences in France, Germany and Switzerland. He has 27 criminal convictions for theft and violence.
Mr Chekatt evaded arrest just hours before the shooting when police raided his home in connection with an armed burglary and attempted homicide investigation.
Two people were killed and a third victim who was hospitalized has now died, the Paris Prosecutor’s office said. A fourth victim has been declared brain-dead. At least 12 people were injured, several of them critically.
More than 700 police officers were taking part in the second day of the manhunt, amid fears the attacker has already slipped across the border into Germany.
Asked whether police had been instructed to catch Mr Chekatt dead or alive, Mr Griveaux told CNews television: “It doesn’t matter. The best thing would be to find him as quickly as possible.”
An investigation has been opened into alleged murder with terrorist intent and suspected ties to terrorist networks with intent to commit crimes, Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told reporters on Wednesday.
Witnesses told investigators that they had heard the suspect cry out “Allahu Akbar” (God is the Greatest) as he opened fire on the market, a target Mr Heitz suggested may have been chosen for its religious symbolism.
He added: “Considering the target, his way of operating, his profile and the testimonies of those who heard him yell ‘Allahu Akbar,’ the anti-terrorist police has been called into action.”
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the Christmas market attack, which bears all the hallmarks of an Islamic State (ISIS) operation.