A French money delivery guard was shot dead and another seriously wounded on Saturday in an attack on an armored van near Paris, police said.
The man was the fourth French money delivery guard to die this year in a spate of violent attacks by apparently well organized gangs which prompted the country's guards to call a nationwide strike in May.
In Saturday's attack, six masked men opened fire on three security guards who were taking a delivery of cash from a bank in the center of Stains in the northern Parisian suburbs, police said.
The men were outside their vehicle when the attack began at about 10:30 am (0830 GMT).
The robbers sprayed the van with bullets, killing one guard and seriously wounding another in the stomach.
The third guard was only slightly hurt.
The robbers made their getaway by car although it is not known if they took any of the money with them.
In May, the guards staged a 15-day strike after two similar attacks in which two guards were killed.
They demanded a monthly bonus of 1,500 francs (205 dollars, 228 Euros) to compensate for what they said were the growing dangers of their profession.
The strike left over half of France's automatic teller machines empty, forcing many consumers to rely on credit cards and checks.
At the end of June the French parliament passed a bill designed to improve security, notably by forcing customers like banks and supermarkets to set up special facilities to minimize the need for guards to get out of their vehicles. The guards only returned to work after receiving danger money bonuses and promises to review security arrangements.
Another guard was shot dead in southern France in June -- STAINS, France (AFP)
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