Last night’s shocking terror attack in Strasbourg, a political centre of Europe and the so-called Christmas City, has left many in the city reeling.

Maltese MEPs, journalists, diplomats and other nationals were suddenly caught up in a life or death situation that left up to three dead and 12 injured.

With the killer or killers still on the loose, and heavily-armed guards scouring the city, Lovin Malta spoke to three Maltese MEPs about the scary situation they were suddenly thrown into.

Miriam Dalli

“Yesterday was actually the first time I decided to go see the Christmas Market (where the shooting took place). The night before, I had a trialogue on CO2 regulations that went on until 4:30am, and I wanted to go and see the Christmas market.”

Dalli was in Il Journale, an Italian restaurant in central Strasbourg, when the attack began

“It was around 8:05pm when we first saw a commotion, but we couldn’t figure out what was happening, though it was so near to us. They told us not to leave, and they closed the windows, but from the inside you don’t get a feeling of what’s happening, and with the soldiers outside, I said ‘let’s go out and get a taxi’.”

“We walked a bit but people were still running, and a man came up to us and told us to go back inside, ‘they are still shooting’.”

“We entered the restaurant, and they closed the shutters and didn’t let anyone out. Soon, three heavily armed soldiers entered the restaurant and started looking everywhere – in the kitchens, bathrooms, everywhere.”

“Eventually, at 2:30am, they came and told us we can go, and we left in groups, with soldiers accompanying you, and they walked with us, armed police everywhere, even on high perches for a better view. They left us on a bridge, and once we were out of the centre we could find a taxi.”

Nationalist and Labour MEPs were messaging each other throughout the ordeal, as well as messaging other Maltese people in the city

“There was one person who I just couldn’t get through to, but then I found out they were safely on their way to Paris.”

“But it was scary, especially when you get out in the street, it-triq baħ (the streets are empty) and there’s tension.”

“But it was amazing to see how many messages I got from the Maltese.”

I had a similar experience during the Brussels airport attack. I was pregnant at the time, and my family were over. We were voting when the attack occurred – it was ugly. This time I was luckier – I had told my family to come up and see the Christmas Market where the attack occurred – but my husband shot the idea down, so that was lucky.”

“Alone, it’s one thing, but if your family is there, it’s something else.”

David Casa

“Yesterday I was having dinner with some colleagues on the topic of work-life balance when the attack happened. We were eating in the centre of the city itself when I started to receive messages.”

“We were locked in the restaurant and we didn’t get out before 12:30am, I messaged Roberta Metsola to tell her staff, messaged my own staff and the Labour MEPs as well to make sure everyone is OK, and it seemed like everyone was safe in a place somewhere.”

“The attack happened in a street parallel to where I live, so the police stopped me from entering my own street entering my own apartment – I didn’t get to re-enter and go to sleep until 2am.”

“When it comes to the European Parliament today, all is normal, but the city itself, with the presence of police, that amount is not normal at all. But people were walking, and if I’m not mistaken schools and shops are open.”

“Today, there are still riot police around. I had to walk it to Parliament as there are no cars allowed, so we walked it together.”

“It seems like the city itself is back to normal – they are trying to do their best, and it should go back to normal, and we have a lot of work to do as well as voting to do today.”

“The only problem is the killer is still on the loose, and that’s still scary”

“I was never in a position like this in my life – locked in a restaurant, just a few metres from the incident, panicking a bit, calling family in malta and colleagues, and other members, people from different political groups… It was not normal at all, I was a bit scared to be honest because I didn’t know the outcome.”

“We just waited for hours, and when we were finally let out, we were left outside in below 0 temperatures. Until the police let us go into our apartments and hotels, I was scared and freezing.”

Roberta Metsola

“I was in the Parliament just finishing up a meeting when we received word of an incident in central Strasbourg which quickly became clear was an attack on civilians.”

“My first reaction was to contact all the people I knew were in the city at the time and we established that everyone in the PN and Labour Party delegations, journalists who were with us, our advisors and assistants were safe and accounted for, if a bit shaken.”

“The Parliament was immediately locked down leaving around 2,000 people in the buildings. We knew that this was standard security protocol in the event of an attack and more so when the immediate suspicion was that the attack could have been linked to the fact that the European Parliament was in session in Strasbourg. We did not know if this was an isolated incident or the precursor to something else.”

“We did not know if this was an isolated incident or the precursor to something else”

“Despite that we were determined to continue our work, the plenary debates continued and the mood among MEPs, interpreters, advisors, assistants and other personnel was resolute. We remained under security lockdown until around 3am. This morning, despite some apprehension, everyone continued with his or her work undaunted.”

“Throughout the episode the bravery of the first-responders, the police and the emergency services really shone through. One of the things that also struck me is – how the worst of situations can bring out the best in of people – Maltese tourists who happened to be here contacted me and offered a place for anyone to stay if necessary, Strasbourg locals went online to offer people food and water, lifts and there was a real spirit of coming together.”

“As law-makers we need to make sure our systems are up to scratch – we must close any remaining legislative loopholes that people who wish harm to our communities can still exploit.”

“It is impossible to distance the future of Europe from the need to make our shared space more secure. The simple truth is that there can be nothing without freedom and security that defines the Europe we know today and we must protect that.”

What are your thoughts on last night’s shocking incident?

READ NEXT: Maltese MEPs In European Parliament Lockdown As Shots Fired Around Strasbourg, Killing At Least One

Johnathan Cilia

Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]