Mauritania: Gunmen kill French tourists

Four French tourists were shot dead by robbers today in the west African country of Mauritania.

Police said the killings happened near the town of Aleg, about 100 miles from the capital Nouakchott in the east of the former French colony.

The four were robbed at gunpoint and then shot, said Aleg’s police chief Mohamed Ould Lemine.

A fifth French tourist was seriously injured.

Mr Lemine said the five had stopped on the side of the road to have a picnic when the gunmen approached them, demanding money.

The gunmen took their money and then opened fire with automatic weapons. The robbers then sped off in an old Mercedes.

The identities of the tourists have not been released.

An official from France’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the deaths of the four French nationals but was not immediately able to provide any details about the incident.