A man in his 30s was killed and several others injured in a shooting at a Turkish wedding in northeastern France, police said.
French media reported that three armed men wearing turbans arrived at a reception in Thionville late on Saturday night and opened fire on guests.
“Le Figaro” quoted police sources as saying that the attacker came at 1:15 a.m. local time to “settle scores between well-known Mosel gangs.”
Police said a pregnant woman was among the injured, and three of the injured were reported to be in critical condition at nearby Bellaire Hospital.
According to French media reports, the gunman drove a four-wheel-drive vehicle to the event in the Lorraine region near the border with Germany and Luxembourg, where about 100 people were celebrating at the Eden Palace.
Agence France-Presse quoted a police source as saying: “At 1:15 in the morning, a group of people went to smoke in front of the lobby outside, and then three heavily armed men opened fire in their direction.”
The men reportedly used automatic weapons and shotguns.
The men fired “dozens of shots,” prosecutor Nancy François Cappin-Dourhorst said in a statement, adding that four people were hit by bullets. The victims are said to be between the ages of 25 and 50.
By the time emergency services arrived, the attacker had fled the scene.
Local newspaper Le Républicain Lorrain reported that police were investigating whether the car came from Germany or Luxembourg – about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) apart.
The border area of Lorraine is often the scene of violence related to drug trafficking.
According to Le Parisien, the authorities knew that the deceased and injured were involved in drug-related cases.
In May 2023, five people were injured in a shooting between rival gangs in the neighboring town of Villerupt.
