Psychopaths go hunting

A tragedy occurred in France on March 27. A maniac armed with a machinegun mowed down people at a town council meeting in Nanterre (in the suburb of Paris). Some 40 people were invited to participate in the meeting besides the council members. As a result of the attack, eight people were killed and over 30 were wounded. The gunman was arrested by police. His name has not yet been identified. However, some sources inform that the man was also a member of the town council and a member of France’s Green Party.

No motives have been announced for the awful crime. The investigation is to examine the case thoroughly. A certain tendency is clearly seen: incidents that are even greater than political terrorism have become frequent in the most quiet European countries.

The recent assassination of a governmental official in Italy by the infamous Brigata Rossa is not similar to the tragedy in France. It is more like last year’s tragedy in Switzerland. In October of 2001, a terrorist rushed in the parliament building and started firing, killing 14 people. What was his motive? Just ordinary everyday problems and failures in his private life. The gunman who attacked the town council in France probably had the same motives.

It looks as though European state institutions have to introduce the testing of officials for their mental stabillity; otherwise, assassinations and tragedies similar to those that occurred in France and Switzerland will be committed in the future.

Vasily Bubnov PRAVDA.Ru

Photo by NTVRU.com

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/03/27/38854.html