Hooded gunmen fire on French police in Marseilles

French riot police are on high alert — (Image credit: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

Elite French police units are being sent to a northern suburb of Marseilles after hooded gunmen fired Kalashnikov rifles at police, a police source tells Reuters. France is on high-alert for terrorism after the Charlie Hebdo killings and their aftermath, but Marseilles officials blame this incident on drug traffickers. "This battle against drug trafficking is a long-term battle," Deputy Mayor Caroline Pozmentier said on Monday. A school has been evacuated and a section of the town, La Castellane, has been cordoned off. Prime Minister Manuel Valls is visiting Marseilles on Monday.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.