By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora – PNA
MANILA — No Filipino was among the fatalities of the two separate gun attacks in France and Brazil that killed and injured scores of people on Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Elmer Cato relayed the agency’s condolences to the bereaved families of the shooting incidents’ casualties.
Ambassador to Brazil Marichu Mauro said four people were killed in Brazil when a gunman opened fire right after the midday services at the Metropolitan Cathedral in the city of Campinas, 100 kilometers north of São Paulo.
The envoy said the motive of the shooting is still being investigated as the gunman, who killed himself before the police can arrest him, reportedly had no criminal record.
Ambassador to France Ma. Theresa Lazaro, on the other hand, said three people were killed and 12 others were wounded after a gunman opened fire close to a popular Christmas market in Strasbourg, 490 kilometers east of Paris.
The French government had categorized the incident as a terror attack and had raised the risk level to the highest category.
Throughout the gun attack, several establishments, as well as the European Parliament, were placed under lockdown.
