Suspect in Paris shooting transferred to psychiatric unit

PARIS: 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 suspect had been removed from custody for health reasons on Saturday and taken to a police psychiatric facility.

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.

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.

The Paris prosecutor said a doctor examined the suspect’s health on Saturday afternoon and deemed it “not compatible with the measure of custody.”

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.

The shooting has revived the trauma of three unresolved murders of Kurds in 2013 that many blame on Turkey.

Many in the Kurdish community have expressed anger at the French security services, saying they had done too little to prevent the shooting.

The frustration boiled over on Saturday and furious demonstrators clashed with police in central Paris for the second day running after a tribute rally.

The capital’s police chief Laurent Nunez said 31 officers and one protester were injured in the disturbances, while 11 people were arrested, “mainly for damage”.

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”.

He was already being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, armed violence and violating weapons legislation.

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.

The suspect, who has a history of racist violence, initially targeted the Kurdish cultural centre before entering a hairdressing salon where he was arrested.

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.

The weapon was a “much-used” US Army Colt 1911 pistol.

Of the three wounded people, one was being given intensive care in hospital and two were treated for serious injuries.