Officials said on Friday that the shooter who opened fire on a crowd of people in Paris had previously resorted to violence against migrants.
Paris prosecutor Laura Becco said the alleged racist motive for the attack would be investigated.
Visiting the scene of the shooting, Home Secretary Gerald Darmanin said the gunman was not previously known to intelligence officials for membership in far-right groups or extremism.
According to Darmanin, the suspect “obviously” acted alone. He added that soon after treatment in the hospital, he would testify.
The man was “chasing foreigners,” Darmanin told reporters, adding that he was “not sure” he was aiming to kill “the Kurds in particular.”
Darmanin also said that an official investigation would help shed light on the incident.
No clear connection with Turkey
Agence France-Press (AFP) reported that despite claims by PKK supporters, there is no evidence that Friday’s shooting was politically motivated or linked to Turkey.
The French authorities were extremely cautious in suggesting a motive, as early suspicions were related to racism.
Paris prosecutor Laura Becco, who visited the scene earlier, said the suspect had carried out two attacks in the past, including stabbing at least two migrants at a Paris camp last year, police and judicial sources told AFP.
The man is believed to have cut several tents at a migrant camp in Parc de Bercy in east Paris on December 8, 2021.
In June 2016, he was convicted of armed violence by a court in the northeastern suburb of Saint-Saint-Denis, from which he appealed.
A year later, he was given a six-month suspended prison sentence for illegal possession of a firearm, judicial sources told AFP.
An investigation has been launched into murder, attempted murder and deliberate acts of armed violence, Bekko added.
Meanwhile, the suspect, identified as William M., was a train driver who had retired from France’s national state railway company Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer français (SNCF) and had been living with his relatives since he was released under judicial control. Dec. 12, sources said.
Six police officers injured in clashes with PKK terrorist supporters
Supporters of PKK terrorists clashed with French security forces on Friday, leaving at least six policemen injured after a fatal shooting.
The police responded with tear gas to the violence by supporters of the terrorist group.
Violence in the area began after French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin visited the site of the shooting on rue Enghien in central Paris.
Some pro-PKK protesters were seen throwing objects at police and setting trash cans on fire, and several vehicles were damaged during the riot.
Earlier, local media reported that a 69-year-old gunman opened fire in Paris, killing at least three people and injuring three more.
He was taken into custody and an investigation was launched.
