Pastors shocked by attack on Jewish school in Toulouse

A Christian couple in close contact with the Jewish community of Toulouse have expressed their sense of shock and solidarity following a shooting at a Jewish school in the city earlier today.

Roy and Margaret Reese, pastors of a French evangelical church in the city, live near the Ozar Hatorah school where a teacher and three children were killed by a gunman just before the start of lessons.

The victims are thought to include a teacher and his two sons, aged three and six, and the daughter of the school principal.

Mrs Reese said: “We live near the Jewish school, less than a kilometre from our house. Our friend's grandchildren are pupils there. Our neighbours have a nephew and niece there and we know many of the parents."

The Jewish community has condemned the killings.

The Chief Rabbi of France, Gilles Bernheim, has said he was "horrified" and "stunned" by what happened, while Israel has asked the French authorities "to shed full light on this tragedy and bring the perpetrators to justice".

The attacker fled on a scooter in a similar style to the killer of three soldiers in two separate incidents in the same part of France last week. Authorities have not confirmed whether they are linked to today's shooting.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy flew to Toulouse today to visit the scene of the tragedy. He has ordered that security be ramped up around Jewish and Islamic buildings in the area.

He said: “It's a day of national tragedy… The barbary, the savagery, the cruelty cannot win. Hate cannot win. The nation is much stronger.”

Mrs Reese continued: “There's a special service tonight at 5pm at the main synagogue. We intend to go. Please pray that we may be God's instrument for consolation to our numerous Jewish friends in the coming hours and days.”

Mr Sarkozy has promised to hunt the killer down and has invited all French schools to observe a minute’s silence on Tuesday.