Paris shooter who killed three admits being ‘racist’

The gunman initially targeted the Kurdish cultural centre before entering a hairdressing salon where he was arrested.

A 69-year-old white French gunman who opened fire at a Kurdish cultural centre in Paris killing three people told investigators he was racist, a source close to the case said on December 24, 2022.

The shots at the centre and a nearby hairdressing salon shortly before midday on Friday caused panic in the trendy 10th district of the French capital, a bustling area of shops and restaurants that is home to a large Kurdish population.

Three others were injured in the attack that the gunman attributed to his being “racist”, the source said.

He was found with a case loaded with a box of at least 25 cartridges and “two or three loaded magazines”, the source added.

The weapon was a “much-used” US Army Colt 1911 pistol.

French President Emmanuel Macron said “the Kurds in France have been the target of an odious attack in the heart of Paris” and ordered the Paris police chief to meet with leaders of the Kurdish community on Saturday.

The gunman, who has a history of racist violence, initially targeted the Kurdish cultural centre before entering a hairdressing salon where he was arrested.