At least two people died and around four were injured – two of them seriously – in a shooting that took place in the heart of Paris at 12 noon this Friday, French police confirmed on their Twitter account. The alleged attacker, a 69-year-old man, was arrested, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed. The reasons for the event, which took place near the Ahmet Kaya Kurdish center on rue d’Enghien in the 10th district of the French capital, are still unknown. Police have launched an investigation and asked citizens to avoid the area so they can go about their work. For its part, the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office has announced that a preliminary investigation into “murder, intentional homicide and serious violence” has been opened, reports EFE.
A shopkeeper from a neighboring house in the Kurdish center, who wishes to remain anonymous, heard “between seven and eight shots on the street”. “It was total panic. We remain locked up,” he said, according to Le Monde newspaper.
According to Le Parisien newspaper, the man is a French national and has retired from SNCF, the state railway company, where he worked as a driver. When he was arrested, the police confiscated the gun with which he had fired. The detainee had a criminal record and was under investigation for racist violence with guns, according to the BFMTV network. Darmanin announced on Twitter his return to Paris to take the stage a few kilometers from the Opera. “My thoughts are with the families of the victims,” he said.
[Noticia de última hora. Habrá actualización en breve]
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