Six-masked individuals threw burning, glass bottles on Saturday at the Chinese consulate in Marseille, France, according to a Beijing-based newspaper.

There was no report of any injuries and the motive behind the attack remained unclear although political purposes were suspected, the Global Times report said.

It was the first time a Chinese consulate was attacked in France, the report said, adding that police are still hunting for the perpetrators.

An official with the Marseille prosecutors' office told French media that the motive behind the attack was still under investigation.

"Violence targeting consulates is usually out of political reasons, however, we have no such information thus far," the official was quoted as saying. "Surveillance cameras recorded the gang but they were hard to recognize in the video."

During the attack, four bottles flew over the consulate's perimeter wall and entered the building. A small fire broke out and one wall was burned, the report said.

A police official in Marseille told the newspaper that the suspects would be charged with property damage.

(Shanghai Daily October 20, 2008)