Three uniformed soldiers were shot dead in south-west France today after an assassin gunned them down in broad daylight.


The killer launched his attack in front of terrified civilians after the
men, all from an elite parachute regiment, had withdrawn cash from a
bank in the south west town of Montauban.

Two soldiers aged 24 and 26 died at the scene while a third, aged 28, died
in the intensive care unit of a nearby hospital after receiving a number
of shots to the head.

As they lay on the ground with horrific wounds caused by more than a dozen
rounds, the killer shot each man in the head, before escaping on a
moped.
Nothing was taken from any of the men, and the only evidence left by the killer appeared to be 15 spent cartridges.


Chillingly, bthe entire bloodbath was captured on CCTV, with police tonight
analysing the film for clues as to the murderer's identity.
It follows the killing of another soldier in the city of Toulouse, some 30 miles away, on Sunday night.

In the latest attack, the three men from the 17th Parachute Engineer
Regiment had left their base in Mountauban, and were standing outside
the bank, which is in the centre of the historic town.
At around 2.10pm, the scooter rider, who was wearing a helmet with the visor down, pulled up and started firing.

'There were witnesses to the incident, and a search for the gunman was launched immediately,' a police spokesman said.

Within an hour, search helicopters could be seen flying overheard, with patrols searching for the man.

In Sunday's attack, the assassin had again been riding a motorbike.

The murdered soldier, 30, had not been wearing a uniform and police would
not immediately link the two attacks, but there was a clear possibility
that a serial killer with a hatred of the military might be on the
loose.
France, which has soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, has received a number of terrorist
threats in recent years, but local police said today's attack could
just as easily have been motivated by 'a simple grudge'.
France's Defence Minister Gerard Longuet expressed his 'deep emotion' following the killings.


Montauban is a bastide - or hilltop fort - town and has long associations with the military.

It is has been the home of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment, the only regiment of its kind in the French Army, since 1974.


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