After a fatal shooting close to Kurdish center, protesters and police clash in Paris

After a fatal shooting close to a Kurdish center, protesters and police clash in Paris.

A man opened fire Friday in central Paris near a Kurdish cultural center and other businesses, leaving three people dead and numerous others injured.

The 69-year-old suspected shooter has been taken into custody by police. The man, who assaulted a migrant camp a year ago, was just recently released from prison, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. Investigators are debating whether the shooting had a racist motivation.

A few hours after the attack, fighting broke out in the busy district as Kurdish protesters yelled anti-government chants and police used tear gas to disperse the enraged mob.

According to Berivan Firat, a representative of the Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDKE), which has offices in Paris, the assailant started his attack at the Ahmet Kaya Kurdish Culture Center before moving on to target the Avesta restaurant and the Munzur hair shop.

She claims that a conference that was planned to take place in the cultural center on Friday was postponed due to a backlog of traffic.

In order to murder more people, she said, “we think the attacker planned to attack during that meeting.”

She pointed out that although there are many shops owned by people from Africa and the Middle East on the street where the attack occurred, only Kurdish-owned businesses were targeted.

Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, responded on Twitter. “France’s Kurdish population has become the subject of a horrifying attack in the center of Paris.” “Our hearts go out to the victims, to those fighting for their lives, to their families, and to their loved ones,” Obama stated.

Members of the Kurdish community in Paris who were shocked by the shooting said that police had recently told them about threats against Kurdish targets and demanded justice.

Near the shooting scene, a construction worker saw the assailant go to the cultural center first, then the restaurant, and finally the hair salon. According to the construction worker who spoke to The Associated Press, the attacker injured three people before being stopped by two bystanders.

The employee didn’t give his name because he was afraid for his safety. He said that the attacker was calm and quiet while holding a small-caliber revolver.

Firat noted that Friday’s attack comes before the 10th anniversary of a 2013 attack in Paris that claimed the lives of three female Kurdish leaders and left ten other people injured, at least one of whom is in serious condition.

Following a wave of horrific assaults by Islamic extremists in 2015 and 2016, France is still on high alert for acts of terrorism.

This report was provided by Robin Rushmore of the VOA Kurdish service.

The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed some information.