Man shot dead in Corsican violence

A recently released convict has been shot dead in Corsica, becoming the 20th murder victim this year, amid a fresh spate of violence on the island mostly linked to nationalists opposed to French rule. Nightclub boss Jeremy Mattioni, 29, was shot dead in his car on Friday as he left his home in Calvi. His 11-year-old step son was slightly injured in the attack. Local prosecutor Dominique Alzeari said the victim, a serial thief, had been under police supervision following his release from prison. Several guns, including automatic weapons, were used in the attack, one of 20 violent incidents on Friday night, he added. The killing came less than two weeks after French Interior Minister Manuel Valls and justice minister Christiane Taubira visited Corsica. They had been rushed over just hours after Jacques Nacer, the head of Corsica's chamber of commerce, was gunned down at his clothing store in the capital Ajaccio. The French government has promised more resources for police trying to crack down on money-laundering and racketeering on the island, and last month Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault reiterated the government's commitment to stopping organised crime. Since the start of the year there have been 20 murders on an island with a population of just over 300,000, giving it the highest homicide rate in Europe. Most of the slayings, police believe, have been linked to feuds originating in competition for control of protection rackets which target tourist businesses and the lucrative profits to be had from property development on an island that remains relatively unspoiled. The situation on Corsica is complicated by the fact that sections of a nationalist movement that has waged a long-running, low-level armed struggle for independence from France appear to have become involved in organised crime. None of the previous 19 murders on the island this year have been solved. Friday's violence came on the eve of the nationalists' annual celebration of the Corsican nation.