Paris, Dec 24 (AFP\/APP):A French man suspected of killing three people in a “racist” attack at a Kurdish cultural centre in Paris has been transferred to a psychiatric unit, prosecutors said, as police and demonstrators clashed in the French capital.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said the 69-year-old white suspect had been removed from custody for health reasons on Saturday and taken to a police psychiatric facility.<\/p>\n
The shots at the cultural centre and a nearby hairdressing salon on Friday sparked panic in the city’s bustling 10th district, home to several shops and restaurants and a large Kurdish population.<\/p>\n
Three others were wounded in the attack that the suspect told investigators was attributable to his being “racist”, a source close to the case said.<\/p>\n
The Paris prosecutor said a doctor examined the suspect’s health on Saturday afternoon and deemed it “not compatible with the measure of custody”.<\/p>\n
The man’s custody was lifted and he was taken to a police psychiatric unit pending an appearance before an investigation judge as the probe continues, the prosecutor added.<\/p>\n
The shooting has revived the trauma of three unresolved murders of Kurds in 2013 that many blame on Turkey.<\/p>\n
Many in the Kurdish community have expressed anger at the French security services, saying they had done too little to prevent the shooting.<\/p>\n
The frustration boiled over on Saturday and furious demonstrators clashed with police in central Paris for the second day running after a tribute rally.<\/p>\n
The capital’s police chief Laurent Nunez told BFM television channel 31 officers and one protester were injured in the disturbances, while 11 people were arrested, “mainly for damage”.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Saturday, the Paris prosecutor had extended the suspect’s period of detention for 24 hours and gave an extra charge of acting with a “racist motive”.<\/p>\n
He was already being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, armed violence and violating weapons legislation.<\/p>\n
French President Emmanuel Macron has said Kurds in France were “the target of an odious attack” and ordered Nunez to meet with leaders of the Kurdish community on Saturday.<\/p>\n
– Racist violence –<\/p>\n
The suspect, who has a history of racist violence, initially targeted the Kurdish cultural centre before entering a hairdressing salon where he was arrested.<\/p>\n
He was found with a case loaded with a box of at least 25 cartridges and “two or three loaded magazines”, the source close to the case said.
\nThe weapon was a “much-used” US Army Colt 1911 pistol.<\/p>\n
Of the three wounded people, one was being given intensive care in hospital and two were treated for serious injuries.<\/p>\n
According to the Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F), the dead included one woman and two men.<\/p>\n
Emine Kara was a leader of the Kurdish Women’s Movement in France, the organisation’s spokesman Agit Polat said. Her claim for political asylum in France had been rejected.<\/p>\n
The other victims were Abdulrahman Kizil and Mir Perwer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Paris, Dec 24 (AFP\/APP):A French man suspected of killing three people in a “racist” attack at a Kurdish cultural centre in Paris has been transferred to a psychiatric unit, prosecutors said, as police and demonstrators clashed in the French capital. Prosecutors said the 69-year-old white […]<\/p>\n
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