On Thursday, municipal workers discovered weapons and ammunition in the bushes next to the children’s Advent Village at Strasbourg's famous Christmas market in the Petite-France district, French media reported on Friday evening.

The Christmas market in Strasbourg is one of the largest in France and beyond, drawing a record 3.4 million visitors in 2024. The discovery of a weapon in such a setting is therefore particularly troubling.

The French public prosecutor has launched an investigation. The weapon was fully functional and was able to be identified. It was stolen in 2022 in Haute-Rhin from the home of a shooting-range hobbyist.

During the period of the Christmas market, which will last a whole month, security arrangements in Strasbourg have been strengthened in the context of a possible terrorist threat that is still present in France. In December 2018, the jihadist Chérif Chekatt killed five people with a weapon and injured 11 others.