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A French man suspected of shooting dead three Kurds in central Paris has confessed to having a “sick” hatred of foreigners, the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday, a day after The suspect was transferred to a psychiatric unit.
The suspect – a 69-year-old Caucasian male with a history of firearms offenses – was taken into medical custody on Saturday and taken to a police psychiatric facility pending his appearance before a judge. investigative judgement.
He told investigators he acted out of a “pathological hatred of foreigners,” Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement Sunday, describing the suspect as “depressing” feelings” and “suicidal thoughts”.
The shoot dead people at a Kurdish cultural center and a nearby hair salon on Friday caused panic in the city’s bustling 10th district, home to several shops and restaurants and a large Kurdish population.
The shooting, in which three others were injured, revives the trauma of three unsolved killings of Kurdish activists in Paris in 2013 that many blame on Turkey.
>> Read more: Deadly attack on Kurds in Paris revives trauma of unsolved murders in 2013
Many in the Kurdish community have expressed anger at French security services, saying they did too little to stop the shooting.
disappointment boil on Saturday and angry protesters clashed with police in central Paris for a second day following a tribute rally.
The capital’s police chief Laurent Nunez said 31 officers and one protester were injured in the disturbances, while 11 people were arrested, “mainly as a result of damage”.
Earlier on Saturday, the Paris prosecutor extended the suspect’s detention by 24 hours and added an additional charge of acting with “racist motives”.
He has been detained on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, armed violence and violations of firearms laws.
Racist violence
The suspect – a retired train driver named William M. by French media – was charged with racist violence last year after allegedly stabbing migrants and slashing their tents with search in a park east of Paris.
A gun enthusiast with a history of firearms offenses, he was released on bail earlier this month pending his trial.
The suspect initially targeted the Kurdish cultural center on Friday before entering a hair salon where he was arrested.
He was found with a box containing at least 25 rounds of ammunition and “two or three loaded magazines”, the source close to the case said.
The weapon is a “highly used” US Army Colt 1911 pistol.
Of the three injured, one is being treated at the hospital and two are being treated for serious injuries.
According to the Democratic Council of the Kurds in France (CDK-F), the dead included Emine Kara, leader of the Kurdish Women’s Movement in France, who had fought against the Islamic State (IS) group in France. Syria.
The other victims were Abdulrahman Kizil and Mir Perwer, a political refugee and artist, according to CDK-F.
A police source confirmed Kara and Kizil were among the victims.
After the murder, French President Emmanuel Macron said Kurds in France was “the target of a heinous attack” and ordered senior security officials to meet with leaders of the Kurdish community.
‘Pain and Doubt’
Thousands of Kurds gathered at the Place de la République in central Paris on Saturday afternoon, where they held a minute of silence for the three killed and those who “died for freedom”.
“What we feel is painful and unbelievable because it’s not the first time this has happened,” 23-year-old student Esra told AFP.
Police fired tear gas after clashes broke out and protesters hurled bullets at officers. AFP journalists at the scene said at least four cars overturned and one caught fire.
More than 1,000 people staged a similar peaceful protest in the southern port city of Marseille but it ended in clashes with officers and at least two police cars burned.
Three female Kurdish activists were killed in 2013 in the same area of Paris, and the families of the victims have long since been killed. pointing finger in Turkey for masterminding the death.
Despite the suspicions, there appears to be no evidence that Friday’s shooting was politically motivated or had anything to do with Turkey.
Often described as the world’s largest stateless people, the Kurds are an ethnic Muslim group that stretches across Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Iran.
Turkey regularly conducts military operations against the PKK, a Kurdish organization considered a terrorist by Ankara, as well as Kurdish groups that Turkey accuses of being allies in neighboring Syria and Iraq.
More recently, Kurdish areas in Iran have borne the brunt of the Islamic Republic’s deadly crackdown on protests.
>> Read more: The Kurds are the ‘ideal scapegoat for both Turkey and Iran’
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters and AFP)
