French police are questioning a man who was arrested after shooting dead eight people and wounding about 30, 14 of them seriously, in a town hall on the outskirts of Paris. The man had been in the public gallery during a meeting of the local council in the north-western suburb of Nanterre.
As the meeting ended he produced two 9mm Glock automatics and a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum and began shooting at councillors and members of the public. Witnesses said he methodically targeted his victims with a pistol in each hand. He was overpowered by survivors.
RTÉ News has learnt that all of the dead were elected officials. Five were members of the Communist Party. All of the wounded were also elected officials.
The gunman was identified as Richard Durne, an environmental activist who regularly attended council meetings. Police say there was no clear motive for the attack.
The 33-year-old is reported to have spent time as an aid worker in the Kosovo and Bosnia several years ago but was currently unemployed.
While police records show that he had no criminal record, he had threatened employees in a pharmacy in Nanterre in 1998.
Durne is reported to have held a valid gun licence and was a member of a recreational shooting club in La Garenne-Colombes.
