The home of a Paris mayor has been raided and set alight while his wife and children were inside sleeping as the city continues to be rocked by riots, writes Independent.co.uk.

Vincent Jeanbrun, who is in charge of the area of L’Hay-les-Roses in the southern suburbs, said rockets were also thrown as they fled from the burning house in what he’s calling an “assassination attempt”. Mr Jeanbrun said his wife and one of his two children, who are both aged under eight, were injured as they fled the building in the early hours of Sunday.

“Last night, a milestone was reached in horror and ignominy. My home was attacked and my family was the victim of an assassination attempt”, - he wrote on Twitter

The mayor was not at home at the time but was instead working at his office. Mr Jeanbrun also said the attack was “a murder attempt of unspeakable cowardice”: “A line has been crossed. If my priority today is to take care of my family, my determination to protect and serve the Republic is greater than before”.

A car was used to ram through the gates of the family’s home before the vehicle was set on fire in an effort for flames to spread to the house, Mr Jeanbrun said in a statement. His wife, Melanie Nowak, suffered a broken leg when she attempted to flee through rocket fire.