
key points
- The 69-year-old said he had gone out that morning with the aim of killing migrants or foreigners and then himself.
- He told investigators he did not know his victims and described all “non-European foreigners” as his enemies.
- He was arrested at the scene and taken to psychiatric care on Saturday. His name has not been released.
He was arrested at the scene and taken to psychiatric care on Saturday. His name has not been released.
The shooting in a bustling Paris neighborhood shocked and angered the Kurdish community and raised concerns about hate crimes at a time when far-right voices have gained prominence in France and across Europe.
Demonstrators turn around a car during a protest against the recent shooting at the Kurdish cultural center in Paris, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. Source: AAP / AP
The suspect told investigators that on the morning of the shooting, he first took his gun to the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis with the intention of killing foreigners, but changed his mind, according to the prosecutor’s statement.
One of the injured in the hairdresser managed to arrest him and hold him until the police arrived, according to the prosecutor’s statement.
On Saturday, members of France’s Kurdish community and anti-racism activists united in a demonstration of grief and anger. The rally was largely peaceful, with protesters holding portraits of the victims.