Overview
- Municipal maintenance workers found a functioning handgun and ammunition late 27 November in bushes near the market’s “village de l’avent” in Petite France.
- Procureure Clarisse Taron told AFP an investigation is underway, confirming initial reporting by Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace.
- Police are examining who placed the weapon, for how long it was there, and for what purpose, with no suspect or motive publicly identified.
- The market opened this week and expects heavy footfall after a record 3.4 million visitors last year.
- Security includes checkpoints and a large daily deployment reported at about 1,000 staff, as authorities keep high alert following the 2018 attack that killed five and wounded 11.