MOSCOW, December 12 (RAPSI) – Interpol will assist France with the investigation into a shooting spree that left 4 people dead in Strasbourg last night, the international police organization’s Secretary General Jürgen Stock has stated.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of the Strasbourg attack and we will provide whatever assistance is requested by French authorities as they continue their investigation,” Stock wrote on Twitter Wednesday.

According to the French Interior Ministry, on Tuesday evening, a 29-year old local citizen with criminal records started shooting at the Christmas fair in the center of Strasbourg. As a result, 4 persons died and at least 12 people sustained injuries of various degrees of severity.

The shooter fled the crime’s scene. He is reportedly being searched by nearly 500 police officers. French police do not preclude that he left the country. German authorities have already toughened control at its border with France.

A criminal case has been opened over a terrorist attack.