Dec. 24, 2022, PARIS: A 69-year-old white French gunman who opened fire at a Kurdish cultural center in Paris, killing three people, told investigators he was racist, a source close to the case said Saturday.
The shots at the center and a nearby hairdressing salon shortly before midday on Friday caused panic in the trendy 10th district of the French capital, a bustling area of shops and restaurants home to a large Kurdish population.
Three others were wounded in the attack that the gunman attributed to his being “racist,” the source said.
He was found with a case loaded with a box of at least 25 cartridges and “two or three loaded magazines,” the source added.
The weapon was a “much-used” US Army Colt 1911 pistol.
French President Emmanuel Macron said, “the Kurds in France have been the target of an odious attack in the heart of Paris” and ordered the Paris police chief to meet with leaders of the Kurdish community on Saturday.
The gunman, who has a history of racist violence, initially targeted the Kurdish cultural center before entering a hairdressing salon where he was arrested.
The city’s police chief met with members of the Kurdish community on Saturday to allay their fears over the shooting.
In 2013, three Kurdish women, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) founder, were killed in a shooting at a Kurdish center in Paris. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
Kurds protest after deadly shooting
Saturday’s march started out largely peaceful, but scuffles broke out between groups of protesters and the police in a repeat of the violence that occurred Friday immediately after the shooting. In the latest incident, demonstrators clashed with police near Paris’ Place de la Republique, cars were overturned, at least one vehicle was torched, and shop windows were damaged.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said a few dozen protesters were responsible for the violence, adding 11 arrests and 30 minor injuries.
