The president of Corsica's national park was shot dead Thursday, the third prominent public figure to be murdered on the French Mediterranean island in the space of six months, reports GlobalPost
Jean-Luc Chiappini, 65, was ambushed and killed by an assassin riding as a passenger on a high-powered motorbike as he drove from Ajaccio's airport into the centre of the town, Corsica's administrative centre.
His killing follows similar execution-style hits on top lawyer Antoine Sollacaro, on October 16, 2012, and the president of southern Corsica's chamber of commerce, Jacques Nacer, on November 15, 2012.
It was the 10th murder on the island of 310,000 people this year and the 29th since the start of last year.
The slayings have left the idyllic Mediterranean island with the unwelcome tag of having the highest murder rate in Europe.
Read more of this report from GlobalPost.