After a shooter kills three people at a Kurdish cultural center in Paris, there are clashes. Local authorities in Paris, France, reported that at least three people were killed when a shooter opened fire on a hair salon and a community center for Kurds. Let’s find out Paris Shooting Suspect Who is William M and Meet the retired SNCF train driver with a previous criminal history.
Paris Shooting: the track of the privileged racist attack
Three people were killed this Friday in front of a Kurdish cultural center by a sexagenarian, already involved last year in a racist attack. But the Kurdish community remains skeptical about the hypothesis of an isolated act by the extreme right.
Racist or political attack?
The balance seemed to tip this Friday evening towards the first possibility, after the shooting which claimed the lives of three people near the Kurdish cultural center Ahmet Kaya, rue d’Enghien in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.
Terrorists of the Islamist, Christian, Palestinian, Armenian, Turkish, separatist, far-left, and far-right ideologies have assaulted Paris in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The assault happened as right-wing violence in France was on the upswing.
In the 10th arrondissement of Paris, shootings took place in a restaurant, a hair salon, and a cultural center for Kurds. According to a witness, the shooter entered the cultural center first, followed by the restaurant, and then the hair salon, before being stopped by two onlookers. Another witness described the gunman as being quiet and composed while firing a weapon of a modest caliber.
Scroll down to read the full details of the suspect William M
Who were the Victims?
The incident left three individuals dead and three others wounded, one of whom is in critical condition while the other two are in less bad ones. Prior to being apprehended, the shooter also suffered a facial injury.
Emine Kara, the leader of the Kurdish women’s movement in France, Mir Perwer, a Kurdish singer who had sought political asylum in France, and Abdullah Kizil, a regular at the cultural center, would be the victims.
Mir Perwer was a Kurdish musical artist, who was killed in today's attack in Paris.
Read More: https://t.co/75rHyXgvwS pic.twitter.com/UX65hOFHz7— Kurdistan 24 English (@K24English) December 23, 2022
Read Also, paris-shooting
Here is what we know about the profile of William M the arrested suspect.
Paris Shooting Suspect: Who is William M?
A man was arrested with his weapon and taken into custody, prosecutors said. The suspect, a 69-year-old retired train driver, was already known to justice for two attempted homicides.
According to our information, the alleged perpetrator is called William M. He was born in 1953 in Montreuil. He is now 69 years old and is of French nationality. He is a former SNCF railway worker.
William M, a 69-year-old man from Montreuil who was the suspect, was taken into custody right away. He resided in the 10th arrondissement and was a retired SNCF train driver.
Williams the suspect’s Previous Criminal history
He had a criminal record that included two attempted homicides, serious assault, and violating the law regarding weapons. He was never included in the FINIADA (National file of those forbidden from obtaining and carrying weapons), and his residence had not been searched despite his numerous convictions.
Colt 45 enthusiast and sport shooter
He claimed to be a Colt 45 enthusiast and sport shooter who bought the gun from “a friend” he met at a Versailles shooting range.
When he was arrested, he allegedly told the police that he “didn’t like Kurds” and claimed that he acted in a “racist” manner.
He was the victim of a burglary in 2016, and in June 2021, he was given a 12-month prison sentence after stabbing the burglar.
He received a six-month prison term in 2017 for unlawfully possessing a firearm. He used a sword to attack a Bercy migrant camp on December 8, 2021, inflicting injuries on three refugees and demolishing six tents.
He was being looked into for “violent racist acts.” He would have profaned remarks of “unambiguous racism” during the hearings before the investigating judge, but on December 12, 2022, he was discharged and placed under court supervision.
The “recently released” man
The alleged shooter had just “had just been released recently”, told journalists present on the spot at the beginning of the afternoon Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau. Le Parisien indicates that he would have been released from prison ten days ago, on December 12. According to Le Monde, he was prohibited from possessing a weapon and from leaving the territory.
He would have “also recently been tried” for other facts that occurred this time in Seine-Saint-Denis, would have been sentenced, but an appeal would have been lodged by the prosecution, “said the prosecutor. The author is unknown to the files of territorial intelligence and the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI).
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s StatementThe Kurdish community and, through it, all Parisians, were targeted by these assassinations committed by extreme right-wing activists. Kurds wherever they reside must be able to live in peace and security. More than ever, Paris is by their side in these dark hours. |
Mathilde Panot, the leader of France: StatementDeep sadness and indignation at the racist attack near the Kurdish cultural center perpetrated today in the heart of the capital. The safety of our Kurdish allies must be guaranteed. The racist extreme right must be neutralized. |
Minister of Interior Gérald Darmanin Statement
| “He was not known to the intelligence services, any intelligence file, nor the DGSI, nor the Paris intelligence department, nor the territorial intelligence” nor the prison intelligence services for radicalization. It is therefore not certain that this person has any political commitment whatsoever, even if his motivations were obviously an attack against foreigners characterized but that the judicial inquiry will tell, “said the Minister of Interior Gérald Darmanin who went to rue d’Enghien in the middle of the afternoon. |
The suspect was taken to the hospital
“The murderer, himself injured and in a relative emergency, was taken to the hospital,” said the mayor of the 10th arrondissement, Alexandra Cordebard, on the spot.
The motivations that led him to open fire on Friday remain unknown for the time being, said a source. Nevertheless, “the racist motive of the facts will be part of the investigations which have just begun”, specified the prosecutor of the Republic of Paris Laure Beccuau. As a reminder, the attack took place near a Kurdish cultural center.
An investigation has been opened for counts of murder, intentional homicides, and aggravated violence by the Paris prosecutor’s office. The investigations were entrusted to the criminal brigade.
The motivations remain to be determined
Regarding the facts of this Friday, an investigation has been opened into counts of murder, intentional homicide, and aggravated violence.
The investigations have for the time being entrusted to the 2nd district of the judicial police and to the criminal brigade. “The national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office has not taken action for the moment,” said the prosecutor. The suspect’s motives were not known at this time. ”
The racist motive of the facts will be part of the investigations which have just begun with large numbers of the regional directorate of the judicial police”, added the magistrate. “He obviously acted alone” and “obviously wanted to attack foreigners” added Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
What happened after the attack?
Several hours after the shooting, riots broke out near the shooting scene, according to several media agencies, when members of the city’s Kurdish community clashed with riot police who engaged the demonstrators with tear gas.
Following the attack, Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau instructed more police to guard Kurdish landmarks and Turkish diplomatic facilities. She had also asked the French president and prime minister to permit the Kurdish people to demonstrate.
Police battled with protestors who had gathered while visiting the location of Darmanin’s shooting on December 23. Tear gas was shot at the protestors, who were primarily from the Kurdish diaspora. A probe was started into cases of intentional homicide, aggravated assault, assassination, and misuse of firearms. The criminal brigade of the DRPJ is in charge of the investigation.
Watch live: Protests are taking place at the scene of a shooting near a Kurdish community centre in Paris in which three people were fatally shot – Read more here: https://t.co/gMZligHlKO https://t.co/RLjH1rM5NW
— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 23, 2022
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Lavanya (Senior Editor) is a full-time content writer with almost 5 years of experience and a part-time teacher. She joined Medico Topics on the Breaking News trainee scheme in 2022 and now works on MedicoTopics.com. As a lifelong learner, She is constantly curious about learning new things and passionate about sharing knowledge with people through her writing and teaching.