Strasbourg reopens Christmas market

The Tuesday's attack on the Alsatian capital's Christmas market causes worldwide concern. The lights on the market's towering Christmas tree were illuminated Friday for the first time since the attack ahead of the official re-opening of the market at 11:00 am (10:00 GMT). "I hope life will get back to normal but I'm not too sure," said Franck Hoffmann as opened his wooden chalet offering Christmas candles and ornaments on Friday. "Business isn't going to be what it was," he predicted.

Strasbourg's deputy mayor Alain Fontanel admitted that despite patrols, plainclothes police, profilers and video surveillance, "the risks can be reduced, but not eliminated". "We can't pat down and search everyone, only carry out random checks," he said, adding that huge lines at checkpoints would only create a new potential target for terrorists. "Someone who wants to get in an area this big with a weapon can do it," he said. Such reasoning was little comfort to the residents and tourists who flock to the Strasbourg market.

is/ks (afp, dpa, linternaute.com)