Corsican official shot in front of airport passengers

Ajaccio (France), Mar 11: Corsican police were hunting an attacker today who shot dead a local elected official at Ajaccio airport in front of passengers arriving from Paris.

Robert Feliciaggi, 63, a businessman with casino interests in Africa and a member of Corsica's regional assembly, was sprayed with several bullets in the attack late on Friday and died shortly after reaching hospital, police said.

His hooded attacker fled in a vehicle driven by an accomplice, according to witnesses.

It was not immediately clear whether the killing was motivated by personal matters or related to Corsica's frequent history of political tension with the French government.

Police said several of his friends had been assassinated in or around the port city of Ajaccio in recent months.

Feliciaggi, who represented France's ruling UMP conservative party, entered politics in the 1980s.

He split his time between the Mediterranean island, Africa -- where he managed casinos in the Republic of Congo and Gabon -- and mainland France where he held interests on the French Riviera.

REUTERS