One dead and five injured in shooting after three masked gunmen open fire at wedding celebration in France

The incident occurred in the early hours of this morning (Sunday 30 June), broadcaster France Info reported, citing investigators. One young man was killed and five other victims were injured, some of them critically.

A pregnant woman was slightly injured and suffered from shock, the local newspaper Le Républicain Lorrain reported. When the emergency services arrived, the shooters had already fled.

Around 100 people were celebrating in a banquet hall in the town of Thionville in the region of Lorraine near the German and Luxembourg borders when three masked attackers opened fire with two assault rifles and a shotgun, the France Info report said.

France Info report added that the shooters arrived in an off-road vehicle at around 1 am on Sunday (2300 GMT Saturday) and initially shot at three people outside the ballroom, where members of the Turkish community were celebrating a wedding. They then reportedly fired at two people at the entrance and fled in their vehicle.

On Sunday morning, forensic experts from the criminal police were still securing evidence at the crime scene, according to media reports. The motive for the attack is still unclear.