A gunman open fired in central Paris on Sunday killing two people and injuring several others, AFP reported. Police sources told the news agency that the gunman has now been arrested.
AFP later published a report saying that a third person who got injured in the shooting died in the hospital. The prosecutor in the case has said that all three killed were Kurds and the motive is believed to be a racial attack.
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The arrested gunman, who is in his late 60s now, has a history of racial violence. He has been arrested before on charges of racial discrimination and violence.
Following the revelation that all the victims were Kurds, tensions broke out in Paris. In many key areas of the city, protestors clashed with police, and incidents of vandalism were also reported.
French authorities said that special protection measures for members of the Kurdish community in Paris will be in place.
Speaking to AFP, a local shopkeeper said that she heard seven or eight shots being fired in rue d’Enghien in the 10th arrondissement. She added: “it was total panic. We locked ourselves inside.”
Some reports in the French media said that the shooter targeted a Kurdish cultural center on rue d’Enghien, which is located in the 10th district of Paris.
The reports further claimed that six people have been injured in the incident and they have been taken to a local hospital for care. One of them is believed to be in a serious condition.
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The area has been cordoned off and the visuals on Twitter suggest a heavy police presence. Emergency health officials are at the scene and multiple ambulances are responding to the incident.
