Brutal attacks in Marseille
Three fatal shootings within a week: The region around Marseille is terrorized by heavily armed gangsters. The authorities are powerless, while the criminals continually upgraded. "The Kalashnikov is as normal as a pocket knife," said a policeman.
There is already talk of a "black series", a series of crimes that shocked all over France. All happened in Marseilles, the port city in the south of the country. There are now three shootings, which occurred on Thursday last: In a diner in Saint-Antoine, 15 District of the port was opened, a man fire from a Kalashnikov automatic rifle of the type. While one person was killed and another seriously injured. The offender recklessly slammed around, at least thirty bullet casings were found at the scene.
The circumstances and motives are still unclear, it could have been a settlement in the milieu. The brutality and cold-bloodedness of the shooting has shocked France, however. For four days earlier, on the night of Monday last, was it came in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône to a heavy exchange of fire with armed gangsters.
After several break-ins, the officers of a special unit around 2.30am clock in the industrial district of Vitrolles north of Marseille were on the road when she suddenly drive the criminals faced: the opened immediately and specifically the fire, a 37-year-old police officer was on life-threatening head made.
The same day came another ruthless attack, when three men in the north of Marseille in a hardware store the 13 District appeared. A policeman in civilian clothes who said there was just shopping, the four individuals and alerted his colleagues, a few minutes later they were on site.
One of the attackers, disguised by a hood and armed with a Kalashnikov, immediately opened fire. In the subsequent exchange of fire he was killed and another injured. The other two criminals were able to escape, injuring a policeman, but were caught a little later. With them were found, the security forces, a "veritable arsenal" includes two rapid-fire guns of the Russian type, and a Beretta pistol.
New such crimes in Marseille and the surrounding area are not. In France's second largest city, once notorious as the gateway of the European drug market, there had been in the past few years, attacks relentlessly active offenders. And public security forces, however, whether the recent spate of incidents of concern, especially since it seems that automatic military arms like the AK-47 were used increasingly common.
Cheap guns are readily available on the black market
Just last year, local authorities have had about the "banality in the use of assault rifles" expressed concern. War military arms were used more frequently in the criminal fraternity - in raids against security forces, or even in internal operating accounts of mafia gangs. One reason for the upgrade: Automatic military arms such as Kalashnikovs are cheaper and are always on the black market, even for petty criminals readily available.
"The Kalashnikov is in Marseille as normal as a pocket knife," says David-Olivier Reverdy. For a handful of euros, told the local newspaper "Le Provence" the regional representatives of the police union Alliance, such military equipment was available. An assault rifle you get today for 1000 € or even half if you do not put so much emphasis on quality.
The military arms come mostly from Eastern European countries looted barracks and arsenals, experts believe. Sometimes they are stolen for the "western underground market" even to order. "In the consciousness of the offender makes a Kalashnikov-powerful," says the detective, a policeman - with bursts of thirty bullets you can hardly miss its target.
Scarce resources in times of crisis
Jean-Louis Martini, representatives of the police union Synergie in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur sees but also errors in the security agencies, because in times of crisis are just the means. "Because of the budget, we have no bullets, so the training will also be no more," he told the radio station RMC. "In addition, the police are reluctant to resort to a military arm, possibly because their career depends on it - that's why such tragedies happen and I'm afraid that it will happen more often.."
Interior Minister Claude Guéant, who visited the wounded in a hospital officials promised, however, "to do everything we can to catch the perpetrators." Dominique Moyal of the prosecutor's office in Aix-en-Provence, described the way how the gangsters had reacted, an act of war.
For law enforcement, justice and politics, it goes about its own credibility: The protection of citizens against violence and crime is one of the favorite themes of President Nicolas Sarkozy. He had only recently sent a close confidant as the new prefect of Marseille.
Marseille for more than just a good reputation is at stake: The port city will act as European Capital of Culture 2013, shootings do not fit the program.
