Eight wounded in shooting near French mosque

Eight people were wounded in a shooting in front of a mosque in the southern French city of Avignon, in an incident police consider to be a settling of scores rather than a militant attack, a source close to the investigation said on Monday.

Worshippers leaving the Arrahma mosque were approached by two hooded suspects at about 10:30pm on Sunday.

The suspects, carrying a handgun and a shotgun, arrived in a Renault Clio before opening fire on the crowd, La Provence newspaper reported.

Four people were wounded outside the mosque and a family of four - including a seven-year-old girl - also suffered injuries from shrapnel while in their apartment, located some 50 metres away, La Provence said, citing a source.

Two of the eight wounded were hospitalised after the incident, according to the source.

They added that the worshippers leaving the mosque had not been the intended target.

The Avignon attack is not being treated as a terrorist incident, the prosecutor's office said. "The fact that it happened in the street of the religious establishment was unconnected with it," the prosecutor said.

Laure Chabaud, a district magistrate, said that the incident was likely to be the result of a dispute between youths.

The criminal investigation department has taken charge of the case, AFP news agency reported.