Gunman kills three, injures others in Paris shooting

Three individuals were killed and three others were injured when a shooter opened fire in the heart of Paris.

The shooter opened fire on residents of the neighborhood while he was aiming for a Kurdish cultural centre. Investigating potential racial motivations.

A 69-year-old suspect was detained right away, and it immediately became clear that he had recently been released from prison.

Authorities urged people to stay away from Strasbourg-Saint Denis in Paris's 10th arrondissement.

The attack was denounced in a brief statement by the Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDF-K), which oversees the centre that was attacked. Additionally, it stated that a vigil would be held on Friday night to remember the victims.

Although the shooting's cause has not been established, Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated the man had previously been accused of engaging in racial violence.

He used a sword to strike tents at a Parisian migrant camp in that incident, which happened on December 8th in Bercy. He had only lately been released, although it was unclear why.

Ahmet-Kaya Kurdish, a representative for the centre, was quoted by the Le Monde newspaper as saying that French authorities had "once again" failed to defend Kurdish citizens in Paris.

Police and a sizable crowd that had gathered at the location following the incident got into a fight afterwards.

Objects were being thrown and a fire was being started in the middle of the street, as seen on video. Officers in riot gear responded by firing tear gas.

The suspect was also hurt in the shooting, according to the local mayor Alexandra Cordebard, and three locations were targeted: a restaurant, a hair salon, and a Kurdish cultural centre. In the salon, there were two shootings.

Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, claimed that a "far-right activist" was responsible for the killings. Added her: "Kurds must be able to live in safety and peace wherever they may be. In these difficult times, Paris stands on their side more than ever."

"We were walking in the street and heard gunshots," a witness, Ali Dalek, told the BBC. "We turned around and saw people running left and right.

"And then, five or six minutes later, because we know people who work at the hair salon, we went in and we saw that they had arrested a guy - an old man, elderly, tall."

She had locked herself in, a second witness, a shopkeeper, informed AFP.

She reported hearing seven or eight gunshots. According to reports, two of the victims of the gunshot are in critical condition, and two others were gravely hurt.

Without encountering any resistance, police apprehended the man and reportedly found the attacker's weapon. Authorities declared that they had started a murder inquiry.

Elisabeth Borne, the prime minister of France, complimented the police for taking prompt action and called the killings "heinous acts."

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has visited the area and spoken to media in the interim. He claimed that the shooter's motivation was still unclear.

The incident occurred nearly ten years after the January 2013 murders of three Kurdish women activists in Paris, among them a co-founder of the ferociously nationalist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Along with a number of eateries and stores, the cultural centre is located on the street next to the Château d'Eau metro station. It was a very active location, according to Ms. Cordebard.

To conduct their investigations, authorities have blocked off Rue d'Enghien, the street where the shootings occurred.

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