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Riots break out after ‘far-right’ shooting in Paris which left three dead

Rioting broke out in Paris close to the scene of a racially-motivated mass shooting in which three people were killed and three others wounded.

Emmanuel Macron said the country’s Kurdish community had been the victims of a heinous attack, with his interior minister Gerald Darmanin saying the suspect was clearly targeting foreigners.

Gunshots rang out on Rue d’Enghien at about midday on Friday, creating panic on a street lined with small shops and cafes in the French capital’s busy 10th district.

Police fired teargas as darkness descended to drive back an angry crowd as projectiles were thrown at officers, rubbish bins and restaurant tables overturned, and cars damaged.

A 69-year-old man, named as William M, was arrested. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said he had recently been freed from detention while awaiting trial for a sabre attack on a migrant camp in Paris a year ago.

He was convicted in June of committing violent acts with a weapon in 2016, and had lodged an appeal.

An investigating source said the assailant arrived in the area ‘armed with a gun and deliberately targeted an area full of immigrants, including recent arrivals sleeping rough’.

They added: ‘He threatened people in a hairdresser, a restaurant, and people close to the Ahmet-Kaya Kurdish cultural centre. He seemed intent on killing as many people as he could.’

epa10377092 A police officer stands behind a cordon on 'Rue d'Enghien' following a shooting incident near a Kurdish cultural centre in Paris, France, 23 December 2022. The Paris Police Prefecture annonced on its social media that a suspect was detained in connection to the incident. EPA/TERESA SUAREZ
A police officer stands behind a cordon on ‘Rue d’Enghien’ following a shooting (Picture: EPA)
Protestors clashes with French riot police officers following a statement by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin (unseen) at the site where several shots were fired along rue d'Enghien in the 10th arrondissement, in Paris on December 23, 2022. - Two people were killed and four injured in a shooting in central Paris on December 23, 2022, police and prosecutors said, adding that the shooter, in his 60s, had been arrested. The motives of the gunman remain unclear, with two of the four injured left in a serious condition, the French officials said. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP) (Photo by THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Protestors clashed with French riot police (Picture: AFP via Getty)
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Blondet Eliot/ABACA/Shutterstock (13682773bv) Riots break out at the site where several shots were fired along rue d'Enghien in the 10th arrondissement, in Paris on December 23, 2022. Three people were killed and four injured in a shooting in central Paris on December 23, 2022, police and prosecutors said, adding that the shooter, in his 60s, had been arrested. The motives of the gunman remain unclear, with two of the four injured left in a serious condition, the French officials said. Three Dead Several Injured After Shooting - Paris, France - 23 Dec 2022
Three people were killed in the attack (Picture: ABACA/Shutterstock)
PARIS, FRANCE - DECEMBER 23: Angry protestors face off towards French Riot Police after violent clashes broke out after the visit of the French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin to the scene of a deadly shooting which left three people dead earlier in the day on December 23, 2022 in Paris, France. Protestors who were mainly of the Kurdish Community were voicing their concerns of feeling unprotected in France after the attack, blaming the Turkish Government whilst the French Government blamed identity politics and far right ideology for the attacks, though an official investigation is still underway. Police detained a 69-year-old man in connection with the attack, which took place in the 10th district, not far from Gare de l'Est station and a Kurdish cultural center. (Photo by Kiran Ridley/Getty Images)
Angry protestors face off towards French riot police after violent clashes broke out (Picture: Getty)
PARIS, FRANCE - DECEMBER 23: Angry protestors face off towards French Riot Police after violent clashes broke out after the visit of the French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin to the scene of a deadly shooting which left three people dead earlier in the day on December 23, 2022 in Paris, France. Protestors who were mainly of the Kurdish Community were voicing their concerns of feeling unprotected in France after the attack, blaming the Turkish Government whilst the French Government blamed identity politics and far right ideology for the attacks, though an official investigation is still underway. Police detained a 69-year-old man in connection with the attack, which took place in the 10th district, not far from Gare de l'Est station and a Kurdish cultural center. (Photo by Kiran Ridley/Getty Images)
Protestors were mainly of the Kurdish Community voicing their concerns of feeling unprotected in France after the attack (Picture: Getty)
TOPSHOT - Protestors clashes with French riot police officers following a statement by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin (unseen) at the site where several shots were fired along rue d'Enghien in the 10th arrondissement, in Paris on December 23, 2022. - Three people were killed and three injured in a shooting in central Paris on December 23, 2022, police and prosecutors said, adding that the shooter, in his 60s, had been arrested. The motives of the gunman remain unclear, with two of the four injured left in a serious condition, the French officials said. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP) (Photo by THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images)
The motives of the gunman remain unclear (Picture: AFP via Getty)
Clashes with French police during a demonstration near the Rue d'Enghien after gunshots were fired killing and injuring several people in a central district of Paris, France, December 23, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Police with riot shields (Picture: Reuters)

Eyewitness Mehmet Dilek said he first heard gunshots and then cries from inside a barber’s shop opposite the cultural centre. Bystanders subdued the gunman as he reloaded, he added.

‘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 continued.

The shootings were a ‘terrible drama’, district mayor Alexandra Cordebard told reporters. One of those wounded had suffered life-threatening injuries, she said.

The shooting occurred close to a Kurdish cultural centre
The shooting occurred close to a Kurdish cultural centre
French police and firefighters secure a street after gunshots were fired killing two people and injuring several in a central district of Paris, France, December 23, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
French police and firefighters secure a street (Picture: Reuters)

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.

‘Kurds, wherever they live, should be able to live in peace and security,’ Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Twitter.

‘Now more than ever, Paris is by their side in these dark times.’

Julien Verplancke who works at another local restaurant, Chez Minna, said staff from the Kurdish restaurant emerged from the premise in tears after the shooting.

Several hours later, armed police were still guarding a security cordon as investigators combed the scene.

An investigation has been opened into murder, manslaughter and aggravated violence.

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.

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