Masked gunmen have opened fire at a mosque in the south of France, injuring eight people including a seven-year-old girl.

Two hooded men pulled up in a Renault Clio and began firing as worshippers were leaving Arrahma mosque at 10.30pm last night in Avignon, Provence.

The attackers, wielding a handgun and a rifle between them, fled from the scene and a manhunt is underway.

Investigation: Masked gunmen opened fire at a mosque in the south of France, injuring eight people in what is believed to have been a gang-related incident

Two hooded men pulled up in a Renault Clio and began firing at worshipers, who were leaving Arrahma mosque (pictured)

This morning, Avignon prosecutors ruled out terrorism as a motive adding: 'From what we know this evening, the mosque was not targeted. The fact that it happened in the street of the religious establishment was unconnected with it.'

Laure Chabaud, an Avignon magistrate, said police suspected it was a gangland dispute. The criminal investigation department has taken charge of the case.

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.

While two men were seen with guns, witness accounts mentioned four men in the car, all hooded.

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

An eyewitness said dozens near the mosque started running when two suspects climbed out of the vehicle and approached them with guns.

The witness said: 'It was a black Renault car. There were four individuals, only two of them, who were seated in the back, stepped out and started shooting at everyone.'

The incident comes a few days after a man on Thursday attempted to drive his car into worshippers outside the Creteil mosque in southeast Paris.

The driver, a 43-year-old Armenian who suffered from schizophrenia, hit barriers and pillars outside the mosque with his 4x4 without causing any injuries before crashing into a traffic island.

The incident happened at 10.30pm last night in Avignon, Provence outside Arrahma mosque

According to a source close to the investigation, the suspect had made 'confused remarks in relation' to a string of jihadist attacks that have struck France, killing 239 people since 2015.

Following a van attack against worshippers leaving Finsbury Park Mosque in London on June 19 which left one dead and 11 injured, France's Muslim community has also felt threatened.

Some Muslim officials have described the Paris incident as an attack and called on the authorities to 'strengthen protection of places of worship'.

The Paris police commissioner reiterated his orders for vigilance in protecting Muslim places of worship.