Masked gunmen kill two in village restaurant

Gunmen have shot dead two people and wounded three others in a crowded restaurant in the village of Dulliken, in canton Solothurn. Police said the two gunmen, who were wearing carnival masks, fled without trace after the shooting.

Gunmen have shot dead two people and wounded three others in a crowded restaurant in the village of Dulliken, in canton Solothurn. Police said the two gunmen, who were wearing carnival masks, fled without trace after the shooting.

The men entered the Löwen Restaurant through a back door late on Friday and threatened the 70-year-old owner with a handgun. They fired at random into the room when restaurant guests tried to intervene. One man died on the spot and a woman on the way to hospital. One of the wounded is said to be in a serious condition.

Police are baffled by the motive for the attack on what is regarded as a quiet village restaurant. On the evening of the shooting, guests included the local church choir. The gunmen, who were wearing identical tiger masks, did not make any demands and fled without taking any money.

Police are looking for two young women who they are hoping to eliminate from their inquiries. The women left the restaurant about ten minutes before the shooting through the same back door used by the attackers. Witnesses say they spent only a few minutes in the establishment and appeared to study the room.

From staff and wire reports