A shooting spree near France’s Dunkirk, left five people dead on Saturday, including two migrants and two security guards, according to reports.
The suspect, a 22-year-old man who later turned himself in, admitted to the killings, which unfolded in the towns of Wormhout and Loon-Plage.
The violence began in Wormhout with a targeted attack on a 29-year-old man and continued near a migrant camp in Loon-Plage, a coastal town about 10 kilometres from the English Channel, claiming four more lives, including those of two Kurdish migrants and two security agents, the Daily Mail reported.
The suspect surrendered to police at a station in Ghyvelde and confessed to the killings.
Upon searching his car, authorities found multiple weapons, raising concerns about the possibility of additional accomplices. Soldiers and law enforcement set up roadblocks and heightened security measures in the area.
Loon-Plage, home to a migrant camp housing hundreds of refugees, has long been a hotspot for tensions and sporadic violence. Migrants, primarily of Kurdish or Afghan origin, often reside in makeshift camps while seeking passage to the UK via the English Channel, as per Sky News.
Violence around such camps is frequently linked to people smugglers who control illegal migration routes.
According to Reuters, the motive behind the shooting remains unclear. French authorities, including the local prefecture, have launched an investigation. The suspect, reportedly a French national with no prior criminal record, faces murder charges.
Officials have not released the identities of the victims or the suspect. Mayor Eric Rommel of Loon-Plage confirmed the deployment of police, emergency services, and soldiers to secure the area amid fears of further threats.
