Furious Kurds clash with police after ‘racist far-right’ gunman kills three near cultural centre

Emmanuel Macron has condemned a ‘heinous attack’ on Kurds in the heart of Paris after a ‘racist’ assailant massacred three people. 

William M., a 69-year-old retired train driver from France who attacked a migrant camp last year, shot ‘blindly’ near the Ahmet-Kaya Kurdish Cultural Centre in a bustling part of the city near the Gare du Nord at noon.

One woman and two men were killed and others seriously injured, sparking ‘total panic’ as bloodshed returned to the streets of the French capital.

A hero officer intervened to wrench the small caliber pistol from the gunman – who was released from prison just ten days ago. 

President Macron said in a statement this afternoon: ‘The Kurds of France have been the target of a heinous attack in the heart of Paris. Thoughts to the victims, to the people who are struggling to live, to their families and loved ones. 

‘Recognition to our law enforcement for their courage and composure.’

A gunshot victim is carried on a stretcher after being struck by gunfire during a rampage in Paris today

Furious Kurds have clashed with police at the site of the shooting as senior politicians blame the attack on racism

A member of the Kurdish community kneels on the ground as he is detained during clashes with the police in Paris, near the site of a shooting earlier today

A man is helped by fellow protestors as the French police use tear gas and riot gear to control furious crowds near the site of the shooting

Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau said at least one gunshot victim is in a state of ‘absolute emergency’.

Two more are in a stable condition and the shooter was also injured in the face but is in police custody. Families of those caught up in the horror have been contacted. 

After the arrest, a witness said: ‘He was calm, with nothing in his head. It’s not normal to have someone like that who has just killed people and who is serene.’

Eyewitness Mehmet Dilek said he first heard gunshots and then cries coming from inside a barber’s shop opposite the cultural centre. Bystanders subdued the gunman when he had to reload his firearm.

‘It might be shocking for someone who has never had a worry in their life. But we grew up under the threat of arms and bombs, this is how life is for us Kurds,’ he said.

The bloodshed sparked pandemonium in the streets as demonstrators clashed with police.

Officers deployed outside the cultural centre used teargas to disperse the protesters who tried to break through a police cordon protecting Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who had arrived at the scene.

Demonstrators threw objects at police, set rubbish bins on fire and erected barricades.

Several cars parked in the area as well as police vehicles had their windows smashed as protesters threw bricks.

The gunman was a member of a shooting sports club and had a number of registered weapons, according to the Minister of the Interior

Riot police have been attempting to control crowds of angry protestors near the site of the shooting

The police have used tear gas and other riot gear to try to control the furious protestors after three people died in a massacre today

Police with riot shields came to quell the demonstrations, with Kurds announcing major protests on Saturday

Some demonstrators were chanting slogans in support of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a Kurdish organisation designated as terrorist by Ankara, the European Union and others.

‘Martyrs don’t die,’ others shouted.

Earlier, several demonstrators had tried to get past police to reach the cultural centre.

The centre, called Centre Ahmet Kaya, is used by a charity that organises concerts and exhibitions, and helps the Kurdish diaspora in the Paris region.

A construction worker who was on a job nearby described seeing the assailant go first to the cultural centre, then to the restaurant and finally the hair salon. 

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne described it as an ‘odious act’.

Mr Darmanin said the attacker was clearly targeting foreigners, but that police don’t have evidence at this stage that he was specifically aiming to hurt Kurds. 

Rioters clashed with police as anger about the massacre at a cultural centre today spilled into the streets

Tear gas was deployed by riot police to try and contain the outburst as slogans against the Turkish government were shouted

Three people were killed and four injured in a shooting along rue d’Enghien in central Paris earlier today

Darmanin is holding a special meeting Friday night to assess threats targeting the Kurdish community in France.

The Minister added that the shooter is an active member of a shooting sports club and ‘had a number of registered motives’.

A demonstration is also being held in Marseilles, where Kurds are waving flags and making speeches.  

Shocked members of the Kurdish community in Paris said they had been recently warned by police of threats against them, and demanded justice after the shooting.

In 2013, three women Kurdish activists, including Sakine Cansiz – a founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK – were found shot dead at a Kurdish center in Paris, and the ethnic group criticised French authorities for their response.

In December last year, the same man responsible for today’s massacre allegedly slashed Sudanese migrant tents with a sword in the French capital, hospitalising two, and was investigated over two separate attempted homicides in 2016 and 2021. 

He was released earlier this month and was awaiting trial under judicial supervision when he carried out today’s brutal massacre. 

Footage taken from the scene of the shooting shows the gunman being escorted away in handcuffs by police

First responders move a man on a gurney after gunshots were fired in central Paris

Investigators securing the street identify gun casings on the street near upturned pot plants

Police secure the street after several shots were fired along rue d’Enghien in the 10th arrondissement

Clashes broke out between Kurdish protesters and French police after the killings rocked the community

The shooting took place not far from Gare du Nord station near a Kurdish cultural centre and a hairdresser’s

A gunshot victim is wheeled away at the crime scene after the brutal massacre which saw three killed

A gunman has shot multiple people in Paris as police warned people to stay away from the area

The shooter opened fire at the Kurdish Cultural Centre in the 10th arrondissement near the Gare du Nord

One witness told French news agency AFP that seven or eight shots had been fired, sewing mayhem in the street

Under the rules, he was not able to leave France and was forbidden from carrying a weapon, raising questions about how he was able to go on his rampage. 

After the attack in the 12th arrondissement last year, a source said he was ‘very unfavourably known to the police’.

Deputy Mayor of Paris Ian Brossat said at the time the attacker had made remarks ‘against foreigners’.

An investigating source said today: ‘It appears that he is a far-right racist fanatic who was targeting anyone who looked like an immigrant.’ 

‘He started shooting people around the 10th arrondissement and was himself wounded during a confrontation with the police, before they arrested him. 

‘The suspect was only released from prison on December 12 for a racist attack carried out last year.’ 

Police managed to wrench the gun from him and arrest him to stop the horror rampage after bullets rang out in the city centre near the Eurostar station

French police secure a street after gunshots were fired killing and injuring several people in a central district of Paris

After the attack, Kurdish people gathered and started chanting after the perceived attack on their community

‘The shooter has been arrested with his weapon. The danger is over,’ a police source told AFP. ‘His motives remain unknown at this stage.’ 

Anti-terrorism prosecutors are investigating the shooting, but haven’t indicated any sign of a terrorist motive. 

Isabelle Rome, Minister for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities, said:

‘All my thoughts and support to the victims of the shooting at Paris10. Xenophobic and racist hatred will never have a place in our Republic. Thank you to the police for the speed of their intervention.’

Senior politicians have said that racism and xenophobia have no place in French society as Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed that the shooter was ‘clearly targeting foreigners’ and was a member of a shooting club

Eric Dupond-Moretti, Minister of Justice, tweeted: ‘All my thoughts go out to the victims of the terrible shooting in Paris and to their loved ones. An investigation was immediately opened to shed light on this atrocious tragedy. Thank you to the police and firefighters for their rapid intervention.’ 

Mathilde Panot, parliamentary head of the hard-left France Unbowed political party, immediately pointed the finger at the far-right, calling it a ‘racist attack.’ 

Anne Hidalgo, the left-wing mayor of the French capital, said: ‘The Kurdish community and, through it, all Parisians, was targeted by these assassinations committed by an extreme right-wing activist. 

‘Kurds wherever they reside must be able to live in peace and security. More than ever, Paris is by their side in these dark times.’

Resident Emmanuel Boujenan said the man had been arrested in a hair salon.

‘There were people panicking, shouting to the police and pointing to the salon ‘he’s in there, he’s in there, go in’,’ he explained.

He said he saw two people on the floor of the salon with leg wounds.

The attack occurred at the Ahmet-Kaya Kurdish Cultural Centre (pictured) in a bustling part of the 10th arrondissement near the Gare du Nord at around noon

The socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, said a psychological unit will be set up in the town hall

‘We saw an old white man enter, then start shooting in the Kurdish cultural centre, then he went to the hairdresser’s next door,’ Romain, who works in a nearby restaurant, told AFP by telephone. 

A source said: ‘Police were called and arrested him, while also confiscating his weapon. The authorities are now advising people to avoid the area.’ 

The shooting happened as Paris bustles with activity before the Christmas weekend. 

Some members of the Kurdish centre could be seen weeping and hugging each other for comfort, and police will enhance protection in their community over the next 24 hours, while a protest and vigil has been planned for tomorrow.

‘It’s starting again. You aren’t protecting us. We’re being killed!’ one of them cried to nearby police.

Salih Azad, a prominent figure from the Kurdish community in Marseille, said he knew one of the victims, a 26-year-old woman who had lived in Paris for several years.

‘She was well integrated socially and culturally,’ he said.

Kurdish leaders called for better protection for their community, a theme for Kurds in France since the high profile killings of three Kurdish women a decade ago.

Often described as the world’s largest people without a state, the Kurds are a Muslim but non-Arab ethnic group spread across Syria, Iraq and Iran, which has faced persecution and violence. 

One witness told French news agency AFP seven or eight shots had been fired, as mayhem broke out on the surrounding streets.

A shopkeeper in the area said: ‘It was total panic. We locked ourselves inside.’ 

Stretchers were brought to the scene of the shooting and a security perimeter was set up by police.

The motives of the gunman remain unclear. 

Paris has been the target of a series of deadly gun and knife attacks in recent years. 

The deadliest single terrorist attack ever in the country came in November 2015 when 130 people were killed at a number of venues.

Suicide bombers pledging allegiance to ISIS targeted the Stade de France, cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan music venue, where 90 died.

Stretchers were brought to the scene of the shooting and a security perimeter was set up by police

Paris police said they were dealing with an incident on the Rue d’Enghien and urged the public to stay away from the area

Local news outlets claim two people have been confirmed dead so far and four were injured

Two people have been killed and several severely injured after an elderly gunman opened fire in Paris

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into murder, intentional homicide and aggravated violence

Earlier in the year, two Paris-born gunmen linked to Al-Qaeda broke into the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, leaving 17 people dead inside and three outside.

In July 2016, 86 people were called and more than 400 injured when a 19 tonne truck was deliberately driven into crowds on the seafront promenade at Nice, which is just 20 miles from Cannes.

The terrorist turned out to be a Tunisian immigrant who was shot dead by police.

During the same month, two Isis terrorists murdered an 86-year-old Catholic priest during a church service in Normandy.

And in October 2020, three people were stabbed to death by a Tunisian immigrant in the Notre Dame basilica in Nice.

There have also been frequent knife attacks on the forces of law and order, leading to the deaths of serving police.