Status: 23.12.2022 2:00 p.m
Three people were killed and others injured, some seriously, in shots fired in downtown Paris. The police arrested a man. The circumstances of the crime are unclear. The shots were fired at a Kurdish cultural center.
Three people were shot dead and several others injured in Paris. Initially, there was talk of two dead and four injured, including two seriously injured – now an investigator announced that there were three dead.
As the public prosecutor announced, they initiated investigations into intentional killing and serious violence. According to the investigator, racist backgrounds are also examined as a motive.
Sagittarius was apparently a 69-year-old man
A 69-year-old man was arrested and is in police custody. His identity is currently being checked, it said. The attacker was also injured, it is said.
Media had previously reported that a man had fired multiple shots in Paris’s tenth arrondissement. This happened at a Kurdish cultural center and surrounding shops, confirmed district mayor Alexandra Cordebard. The center is near the Gare de l’Est train station.
Motive still unclear
The motive of the man is not yet clear. According to reports from the French TV broadcaster BFM TV, the alleged shooter was already known to the authorities. He is said to have attacked a migrant camp about a year ago.
Police urged people to avoid the area
The Paris police initially gave no information about the incident. On Twitter, she called for people to avoid the area.
Emergency room set up in Paris City Hall
Emmanuel Grégoire, who works for the Paris mayor, wrote on Twitter that a medical-psychological emergency room would be set up at City Hall. It is for people who observed the incident.
Grégoire also thanked the security forces for their swift action. His thoughts are with the victims and witnesses of the attack.
France’s interior minister travels to the scene of the attack
France’s interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, says he wants to drive to the site of the attack. Darmanin wrote on Twitter of a “dramatic shooting”. All of his thoughts are with the families of the victims.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also commemorated the victims and their families.