School Shooting Gun Same As Other Attacks

A shooting at a Jewish school in France was carried out with the same stolen scooter and same gun used in two earlier attacks.

A religious education teacher, his two sons, aged three and six, and a 10-year-old girl all died in the attack at the Ozar Hatorah school in Jolimont, Toulouse, on Monday morning.

A 17-year-old boy was also seriously injured in the shooting, which was carried out by a gunman riding a scooter.

The teacher has been named by his family as Jonathan Sandler, an Israeli-French dual citizen originally from Jerusalem who moved to France last September.

The attack bore strong similarities to two shootings in the same region earlier this month, in which three French soldiers were shot dead by a gunman riding a scooter.

The killer was wearing a full face helmet and escaped on what police said was a 500cc Yamaha TMAX scooter stolen in Toulouse earlier this month.

A French police official said the same large calibre pistol was used in all three attacks. French prosecutors are studying possible terrorist links but any potential motive remains unclear.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered the terror alert in the southwestern region to be raised to the highest level.

Mr Sarkozy said he was "sure" the same gunman was behind the three attacks and that it was "obvious" Monday's event was anti-Semitic.

He added that he was suspending his re-election campaign until at least Wednesday.

Earlier Toulouse prosecutor Michel Valet described what happened: "A man arrived in front of the school on a motorcycle or scooter. He got off and when he was directly outside the building shot at everyone, children and adults alike."

A resident who lives near the school said he spoke to Mr Sandler just before he was mown down.

"I said 'bonjour' to him like normal then he went out into the school entrance," said Baroukh, 29. "I heard the shots and I turned around and saw him on the ground. He looked dead but I didn't have much time to see who did it because I panicked and started running away."

A six-year-old schoolgirl called Alexia said: "I came to the school this morning for prayers. Five minutes later we heard shots and we were very afraid. We were gathered in a room and prayed together while we waited for our parents."

Mr Sarkozy rushed to the scene, where he described the attack as "barbaric" and vowed that the killer would be caught.

"Today is a day of national tragedy because children have been assassinated in cold blood. This tragedy affects the national community as a whole," he said.

His main rival in the presidential election battle, Francois Hollande, said: "This act, whose anti-Semitic nature is as obvious as it is despicable, hits what families hold most dear - their children, and plunges the entire nation into mourning."

In the earlier attacks, three soldiers were killed and another seriously wounded by a gunman wearing black and riding a high-speed scooter or motorbike.

On March 11, a 30-year-old non-commissioned officer dressed in civilian clothes was shot at point-blank range by an assailant using a 9mm gun.

Four days later, two paratroopers were killed and another seriously injured at a cash machine outside their barracks in Montauban around 30 miles (50km) from Toulouse.

Witnesses said the motorcyclist walked up to the men, who were in uniform but unarmed, and opened fire at point blank range.

He apparently had time to turn over one of the wounded men who was trying to crawl away and fire three more shots before returning to his scooter and fleeing.

Police forensic experts said on Friday that the same pistol was used in both attacks and officers have said the same calibre weapon was used at the school.

French media reported that the paratroopers involved were of Arab origin.

Before the third attack, a major manhunt was already under way and between 50 and 60 police officers including anti-terrorist specialists were working on the investigation.

Senior military officials have also instructed troops based in the region not to wear their uniforms outside barracks.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has said there is no evidence yet to suggest the soldiers had been killed because of their service in Afghanistan.

After Monday's tragedy, France initially ordered security to be tightened around all of its Jewish schools. Within hours, it widened the move to include all religious buildings.

A formal link between the attacks has not yet been established but the three investigations have now been taken over by Parisian authorities.

Prosecutor Francois Molins said: "Paris prosecutors have taken over three probes into murder and attempted murder carried out as part of a terrorist enterprise."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the killings as a "despicable murder".

"It is too early to determine exactly what the background to the murderous act was, but we certainly cannot rule out the option that it was motivated by violent and murderous anti-Semitism," the leader said.

Sky's defence and security editor Sam Kiley said there was a clear pattern despite the shift from attacking the military to Jewish targets.

He said: "All of these shootings have been in the Toulouse area. Police have already made that connection. They have sent down counter-terrorist specialists.

"They will be focusing their attention on Islamic groups and on the weapon being used, which given these are quick drive-by shootings is likely to be an Uzi or a Scorpion - a small machine-gun with very high, rapid fire."

A minute's silence will be held in all French schools at 11am Tuesday in memory of the victims.

France has the largest Jewish community and the largest Muslim population in western Europe, with around 500,000 and around 5 million respectively.