The alleged perpetrator of the deadly attack near a Kurdish cultural center in Paris with three dead is to be brought before an investigating judge today. This was announced by the Paris public prosecutor. The investigating judge could decide to initiate preliminary proceedings that could lead further to criminal proceedings. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the suspect had confessed to a “pathological hatred of foreigners”.
On Friday, a man fired multiple shots outside a Kurdish community center and at a nearby hair salon, killing three people. Three other people were injured in the attack in the tenth arrondissement of Paris. Five of the victims have Turkish citizenship, one victim is French. According to the Kurdish umbrella organization Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F), all the victims are Kurdish activists. The alleged perpetrator, a 69-year-old Frenchman, was arrested.
Serious violence with a racist motive
The man is currently under investigation for intentional killing and serious violence with a racist motive. According to the public prosecutor, the man had “always wanted to kill migrants or foreigners” since a break-in six years ago. On the morning of the crime, the man had driven to a Parisian suburb heavily influenced by immigrants “to commit murders of foreigners”. Then he abandoned his plan because there were only a few people on site and he could not easily reload his gun because of his clothes.
The man then shot a woman and two men in front of the Kurdish cultural center near his parents’ house in downtown Paris. Two victims died instantly. The third person escaped to a nearby Kurdish restaurant, but died there. The attacker injured three people in a hair salon. One of those attacked overpowered and disarmed the man.
Suspect apparently wanted to kill himself
The suspect targeted all migrants and attacked people he did not know at the Kurdish community center, according to prosecutors. He said he had something against the Kurds because “they took prisoners instead of killing them in their fight against (the terrorist militia) the Islamic State.” The man was arrested with his gun and almost 40 rounds of ammunition. According to the information, he wanted to use all the ammunition and kill himself with the last shot.
The suspect was only released from custody a few days ago. Last year he attacked a migrant camp and injured several people. According to media reports, in 2016 he attacked a man with a knife.
