The 69-year-old man accused of killing three people near a Kurdish cultural center in Paris on Friday told a police officer that he opened fire on racism there.
The attack took place shortly before midday on Rue Enghien, near a Kurdish cultural institution, in the heart of Paris, in a neighborhood with many bars, shops and residents.
The suspect, a retired French train conductor who was stopped by several people before police intervened, said he was “racist”, a source close to the case told AFP on Saturday.
The Ministry of Public Affairs said that the police are investigating the person for murder, attempted murder, armed violence and violation of the racist gun law. .
According to the same source, the man was detained with “a briefcase full of two or three magazines, a 45-caliber box containing at least 25 rounds”.
Three people, one woman and two men, were killed in the attack, and three people were injured, one seriously.
According to the French Kurdish Democratic Council (CDK-F), the woman who died in the attack, Emine Kara, was the leader of the Kurdish Women’s Movement in France. Agit Polat, spokesman for the movement, said that he had applied for political asylum, but his request was “rejected by the French authorities”.
foreigners on target
The two people killed, according to CDK-F, are Abdulrahman Kizil, an “ordinary Kurdish citizen” who joins the association “every day”, and Mir Perwer, a political refugee Kurdish artist “who is persecuted in Turkey for his art”. .
A police source confirmed to AFP the identities of Emine Kara and Abdulrahman Kızıl.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned a “hateful attack” on the Kurds in France and said at his request that the police commander in Paris should receive the leaders of the Kurdish community.
Members of this communiqué planned a protest action in the French capital this Saturday.
The man accused of shooting, who had previously committed acts of violence with a gun, was arrested shortly after the attack and is in police custody.
According to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, terrorism motivation is now ruled out.
Noting that he often went to a shooting range, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the attacker “wanted to attack foreigners and was clearly acting alone”.
legal background
The assailant, who suffered minor facial injuries during the arrest, was known to the police and was sentenced to 12 months in prison in June 2016 for acts of gun violence. He appealed the sentence.
He was also charged in December 2021 with intentional and racist armed violence and damage to property for acts committed on December 8, 2021.
In this second case, he is suspected of destroying their tents as well as wounding migrants with a sword at a camp in Paris.
After one year in detention, he was released on 12 December as required by law and was placed under judicial control.
In 2017, the man was sentenced to six months’ probation for illegal possession of a weapon.
The attacker’s 90-year-old father described the attacker as a “quiet, withdrawn” man and said he “didn’t say anything on his way out” the morning of the attack. “He’s crazy,” she added.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.