Shooting suspect’s neighbours shocked, worried about security

The calm on a quiet street in the suburb of Chelles east of Paris was disrupted on Friday (April 21), when police searched the home of a man believed to be the Champs Elysees attacker.

Policemen searched the property of a man identified as Karim Cheurfi at least twice since Thursday's (April 20) attack, and sealed the doors to a small house and an elevated one behind it.

A sense of unease hung over the neighbourhood populated mostly by immigrants, with residents keeping away from journalists and many refusing to be identified.

One neighbour, who refused to be identified, said he only crossed paths with the suspect but did not really know him, and that his family had lived in the area for a time.

Residents said they believed the suspect was not religious, nor affiliated with Islamic State.

Another neighbour, Jean Da Costa, criticised the police's failure for preventing the attack despite the suspect's criminal record, and said he feared for his family's security.