Man found shot dead in UK-plated van with about 10 migrants at French rest stop

Right · 2A 47-year-old man was found shot dead in a UK-registered tradesman's van at a motorway rest stop in northern France, officials said on 3 October. 1 2 Right · 2His body was discovered around 5am on 2 October with a gunshot wound to the head, on a seat inside the van, which had UK licence plates, according to Troyes prosecutor Isabelle Verissimo. 1 2 Right · 2The van was at the Champ l'Epée rest stop, about 30km (around 20 miles) north of Troyes, a city south-east of Paris roughly 300km from the Channel. 1 2

Right · 2Police found "around 10 foreign nationals who were irregularly on French territory" inside the vehicle; the prosecutor did not give their nationalities or that of the dead man. 1 2 Right · 1A suspect "believed to have been present at the crime scene" was arrested early on 2 October, Verissimo said. 1 Right · 2An initial investigation suggested shots were fired at the rest stop as the van stopped to park, and several people then fled the scene. 1 2

Right · 1The Troyes prosecutor's office said a criminal case would be opened on 3 October for murder, attempted murder, unauthorised possession of a weapon, aiding irregular entry, movement and residence of a foreigner in France as part of an organised group, and human trafficking as part of an organised group. 1 Right · 1The law enforcement office in Reims is in charge of the investigation, according to AFP. 1 Right · 1The Daily Express noted the A26 motorway, which runs from Troyes to Calais, is known in France as the "motorway of the English" because many people use it to travel to and from Britain. 2

Right · 2The motive, the identity and nationality of the dead man and of the suspect, and who fired remain unreported in the coverage. 1 2