Grasse shooting: Several injured as gunmen open fire in school near Cannes, France
A shooting at a school in Grasse, near Cannes, France, has left eight people injured, a french Interior Ministry spokesman has said.
A 17-year-old student has been arrested after forcing his way into he Tocqueville High School carrying a rifle, two handguns and two grenades, according to sources.
Early reports suggested there may be another gunman on the loose inside the school, but now it appears the attacker was acting alone.
A source said that the headmaster of the school was the primary target of the attack.
Grasse town hall say that the shooting was the result of a personal dispute between two students and not terrorist related.
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Christian Estrosi, president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region around Grasse, told France Info radio the injuries were not life-threatening.
He added that the arrested man was carrying a firearm and a knife.
The shooting comes as France remains in a state of emergency following deadly attacks in Paris in 2015 and an attack last year in the city of Nice, which is 40 kilometres (25 miles) away from Grasse.
It also comes just hours after staff were evacuated at the International Monetary Fund offices in Paris due to a “letter bomb“.
A secretary opened the envelope and was injured by shrapnel when it exploded.
Police and soliders are still at the scene of the incident and are trying to establish who sent the package.
More to follow…