Dozens of masked assailants wielding metal bars and Molotov cocktails attacked cars on a major road and clashed with police Saturday in the city of Limoges in central France, officials said. The overnight clashes left 10 police officers wounded, according to authorities, who said they suspect a gang turf war.
The armed attackers descended on the RN141 road and tried to block it during a battle with police, according to officials. Prosecutors said vehicles were attacked but there were no immediate reports of wounded drivers.
"There were between 100 and 150 masked individuals, armed with Molotov cocktails, fireworks, stones, iron bars and baseball bats," local police union leader Laurent Nadeau told AFP. Police responded with tear gas and crowd-control munitions.
Mayor Emile Roger Lombertie called the rioters an "urban guerrilla" group. "They're organized, structured, there's a plan, weapons," he said. "This was not a spontaneous protest to complain about something. No pretext, nothing. It's about destroying things and showing the territory belongs to you," Lombertie added.
Unrest had erupted nearby, in Val de l'Aurence, on the night of July 14, France's national day. Lombertie said this "very poor neighbourhood, with young people from immigrant backgrounds" had become a "lawless zone."
France's Interior Ministry announced on Saturday plans to deploy a special security force to the city.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.