Man found dead in UK-registered van carrying migrants in France

A 47-year-old man has been found shot dead inside a UK-registered van carrying irregular migrants at a motorway rest stop in northern France.

According to Vanguard, the vehicle was discovered Friday about 30 kilometres north of Troyes, southeast of Paris.

Troyes prosecutor Isabelle Verissimo said the victim was found around 5:00 am with “a gunshot wound to his head” while seated inside the van.

Police also discovered “around 10 foreign nationals who were irregularly on French territory” inside the vehicle. Their nationalities were not disclosed.

A suspect “believed to have been present at the crime scene” was arrested early Friday.

Preliminary investigations indicated that shots were fired when the van stopped at the Champ l’Epée rest area before several people fled.

Prosecutors said a criminal case covering murder, attempted murder, weapons offences, facilitating irregular migration and organised human trafficking would be opened Saturday.

Police in Reims are handling the investigation into the incident.