Masked gunmen open fire at a mosque in the south of France

Masked gunmen have opened fire at a mosque in the south of France, injuring eight people.

The incident happened at 10.30pm last night in Avignon, Provence.

Two hooded men pulled up in a Renault Clio and began firing at worshipers, who were leaving Arrahama. 

The gunmen fled the scene and French police have launched a manhunt

One of the attackers was carrying a handgun, while the other had a rifle. 

Four people were hurt at the scene and a family-of-four, on the second floor of a nearby apartment, received shrapnel wounds. Among the injured was a seven-year-old girl.

The gunmen fled the scene and French police have launched a manhunt.

The incident comes just two weeks after one person was killed and nine others injured in a terrorist attack outside a mosque in Finsbury Park, London. 

In addition, a man was arrested on Thursday after trying to drive a car into a crowd in front of a mosque in the Paris suburb of Creteil. No one was injured in the incident. 

France is on high security alert following a series of militant attacks in recent years. 

Laure Chabaud, an Avignon magistrate, said police suspected it was a gangland dispute.