Four Shot Dead at French Jewish School

Policemen work near the "Ozar Hatorah" Jewish school, in Toulouse, France, AFP PHOTO

A gunman has shot dead a teacher and three children at a Jewish school in the French city of Toulouse. He opened fire on the Ozar Hatorah School in the north-east of the city, also seriously injuring a teenage boy.

The attacker fled on a scooter, in similar style to the killer of three soldiers in two separate incidents in the same part of France last week. Officials admit there are similarities between the incidents but say there is no hard evidence yet linking them.

President Nicolas Sarkozy, who flew to Toulouse, described the attack as a “national tragedy”. He has called for all schools in France to observe a minute’s silence on Tuesday and vowed to hunt down the killer.

Monday’s attack happened at around 08:00 (07:00 GMT), as children and their parents were arriving at the school, in the Jolimont area of the city.

Witnesses said the gunman began shooting at an area which serves as the drop-off point for the school’s nursery- and primary-age children. Police have launched a massive hunt in Toulouse to find the killer.

(BG)