Dead were Kurdish activists
Paris shooter admits ‘hatred of foreigners’
12/25/2022, 3:10 p.m
A man kills three people near a Kurdish cultural center in Paris. The suspicion of a racist motive quickly arises and the perpetrator himself confirms it. He professes a hatred of foreigners and a “lust to kill”.
The man behind the deadly attack near a Kurdish cultural center in Paris has confessed to a “pathological hatred of foreigners.” This was announced by the Paris public prosecutor. For years, the man had “always wanted to kill migrants or foreigners”. A racist motive had already been included in the investigation into intentional killing and serious violence on Saturday.
According to prosecutors, the man originally wanted to attack people in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, which is heavily influenced by migrants. He went there armed “to commit murders of foreigners”. Then he abandoned his plan because there were only a few people on site and he could not easily reload his gun because of his clothes.
The perpetrator probably wanted to kill himself with the last shot
According to public prosecutors, the 69-year-old Frenchman shot a woman and two men in front of a Kurdish cultural center near his parents’ house in downtown Paris on Friday. Two victims died instantly. The third person initially escaped to a Kurdish restaurant opposite and died there. The attacker then injured three people in a hair salon, it said. One of those attacked would then have overpowered and disarmed him.
According to the Kurdish umbrella organization Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F), all the victims are Kurdish activists. According to the public prosecutor’s office, five of the six victims have Turkish citizenship and one victim is French. The three wounded are no longer in danger, but two of them are still in the hospital.
- If there is a risk of suicide: emergency call 112
- Advice in crisis situations: telephone counseling (0800/111-0-111 or 0800/111-0-222 or 116-123, call free of charge) or Telephone for children and young people (Tel.: 0800/111-0-333 or 116-111; Mon-Sat from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
- On the pages of German Depression Aid Lists of regional crisis services and clinics can be found, as well as tips for those affected and their families.
- In the German Depression League Those affected and their relatives are committed to improving the situation and the care of depressed people. They offer depressed people an e-mail consultation as a guide.
- The local contact points (KISS) provide an overview of self-help groups for depression.
The man was arrested with his gun, four magazines with a total of 14 rounds and a box of 25 rounds of ammunition. According to his own statements, he bought the gun four years ago from a member of the rifle club he belonged to, who has since died. According to the information, he wanted to use all the ammunition and kill himself with the last shot. He had described himself as depressed and suicidal.
Burglary as “trigger” for desire for murder
The man targeted all migrants and attacked people he didn’t know, according to prosecutors. He said he had something against the Kurds because “they took prisoners instead of killing them in their fight against (the terrorist militia) the Islamic State.”
He described a burglary in his home in 2016 as the “trigger” for his desire to murder. The former engine driver had brutally attacked the burglars and was therefore sentenced to twelve months in prison in June of this year. He appealed against the verdict. Only a few days ago he had been released from prison for a previous crime. Last year he attacked a migrant camp and injured several people.
During an investigation after Friday’s crime, a doctor found that the man’s state of health was not compatible with his stay in police custody. He was taken to the Police Prefecture Psychiatric Ward. As soon as his state of health allows it, the man should be brought before an investigating judge.
The prosecutor said the documents seized from the suspect did not show any connection to an extremist ideology. Nevertheless, France now wants to protect Kurdish meeting points. Throughout the country, guards are to be set up at places where the Kurdish community gathers. Turkish diplomatic missions in the country should also be protected to prevent attacks there.