Many thanks - and the killer rides a motorcycle. What a chilling case.
The weapon, an automatic pistol 11.43mm, is said by Sud-Ouest to be ‘found in the milieu of organized crime’. It is not an ordinary gun. The killer dropped the charger at the scene of the crime, but an inspection found no trace of DNA – the charger had been totally cleaned. All this seems to indicate some careful planning. Those guns certainly have a reputation.
Back in 2007, Le Figaro, commenting on an outbreak of violence by crime gangs in Grenoble, commented that the weapon was “an automatic pistol 11.43mm the ‘signature’ of a settling of scores.”
http://www.lefigaro.fr/france/20071102.FIG000000156_grenoble_s_enfonce_dans_la_guerre_des_gangs.html
But I think Basques might have them as well.
That’s .45, presumably .45 ACP, AKA 11.43×23mm.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_ACP
I wouldn’t think that a particularly common caliber in France.
I visited Nice a couple years ago and happened across a small guns/weapons shop and went in, looked around, and chatted briefly with the proprietor. He really had very, very little on hand, and was very envious of our gun laws.
UPDATE:
from The Miami Herald:
Anti-terror police join probe into French shooting
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/15/2695486/3-french-soldiers-shot-dead-on.html
Thank you all for your input.
“organized crime circles”
“regalement des comptes”
All interesting hypotheses. The most frightening would be the teaming up of Mafia and terrorist elements to target members of the French military who have been stationed in Afghanistan.
Which “local paper” are you referring to?
Montauban and Toulouse are in the SW of France.