One dead after armed gunmen storm wedding in France

Around 100 people were celebrating at Eden Palace when the gunmen arrived at the event in a 4×4 car, according to French media, in the region of Lorraine near the borders of Germany and Luxembourg.

“At a quarter past one in the morning, a group of people went outside to smoke in front of the hall, and then three heavily-armed men opened fire in their direction,” a police source was quoted by AFP.

The men reportedly used automatic weapons and shotguns.

In a statement, prosecutor Nancy Francois Capin-Dulhoste said the men had fired “several dozen times”, adding four people had been hit by the bullets. The victims are said to be between 25 and 50 years old.

When the emergency services arrived, the attackers had already fled the scene.

Local newspaper Le Républicain Lorrain reports that police are investigating whether the vehicle came from Germany or Luxembourg – about 15km (9.3 miles) away.

The border region of Lorraine has often seen violent incidents linked to drug trafficking.

According to Le Parisien, the dead and the injured are known to the authorities for drug-related cases.

In May 2023, in the neighbouring town of Villerupt, a shooting between rival gangs left five people injured.