Police in the southern French city of Marseille say gunmen have fired automatic weapons at the edge of a housing project the same day as Prime Minister Manuel Valls plannedto visit the city. No injuries were immediately reported.
The police official, who could not be named because she was not authorized to speak publicly about Monday's shooting, said riot police have blocked off the Castellane housing project in northern Marseille. The project is rife with drug gangs and violence.
Samia Ghali, a senator from the region, told iTele that she spoke with the police director and was told that the gunmen were targeting police and also firing at random.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls was due in Marseille, France's second-largest city, to talk about security and education.
According to the French daily newspaper Le Figaro, the shooting most likely had a criminal background and was likely linked to a fight between drug gangs. SWAT fighters arrived at the scene in the northern suburbs of the city, along the Mediterranean Sea.
In January, a wave of terror attacks shocked France after terrorist shot to death 12 journalists atthe Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper headquarters in Paris and later killedfour Jewish Frenchmen ata kosher supermarket in the outskirts of Paris.