Gunman kills four at French school

A suspected serial killer shot dead three children and a teacher at a Jewish school in France on Monday in what was branded an anti-Semitic attack, plunging the nation into shock. President Nicolas Sarkozy declared the murders a "national tragedy" as anti-terror police probed the third fatal shooting involving a gunmen wielding what police said was the same pistol in the Toulouse area in recent days.

The gunman opened fire on a crowd as children and teachers arrived for class in the morning, then charged on to school grounds. The killer escaped on what witnesses said was a powerful scooter.

AFP