Americas

Americas

White House condemns shooting in France

19 March 2012 20:55 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The White House on Monday offered condolences and denounced the "unprovoked and outrageous" shooting in France that killed a teacher and three children, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"We were deeply saddened to learn of the horrific attack this morning against the teachers and students of a Jewish school in the French city of Toulouse," National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a written statement.

"We join the government of France in condemning this unprovoked and outrageous act of violence in the strongest possible terms," he said, offering condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland also blasted the "unprovoked and vicious" attack.

The shooting, the third of its kind in the region in a week, took place outside the Ozar Hatorah Jewish school at around 8 a.m. local time, just as students were arriving for school.

A professor, his two sons, and another 10-year-old student were killed before the gunman fled on a motorbike.

Calling the shooting a "national tragedy," French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced Monday noon a minute of silence in all schools throughout the country on Tuesday. He pledged to do everything to find the gunman.