Two dead, four injured in Paris shooting
- Gunman opened fire on the Kurdish Cultural Center in Paris
- At least two people were killed and more injured, according to local reports
- Paris has been the target of a series of gun and knife attacks in recent years
Two people have been killed and several seriously injured after an elderly gunman opened fire in Paris, sparking “total panic” as bloodshed returned to the streets of the French capital.
The gunman, believed to be a 69-year-old retired machinist, opened fire on the Ahmet-Kaya Kurdish Cultural Center in the 10th arrondissement near the Gare du Nord.
Police managed to snatch the gun from him and arrest him to stop the horror rampage after bullets rang out in the city center near the Eurostar station.
Local news outlets claim that two people have been killed and four injured so far, two of whom are in critical condition, but police have not yet confirmed the casualties.
A gunman shot several people in Paris when police warned people to stay away
Paris police said they were dealing with an incident on Rue d’Enghien and urged the public to stay away from the area.
A source said: “The police were called and arrested him, while also seizing his weapon. The authorities are now advising people to avoid the area.”
A witness told the French news agency AFP that seven or eight shots were fired as chaos broke out in the surrounding streets.
A nearby shopkeeper said, “It was total panic. We locked ourselves inside.’
Local resident Emmanuel Boujenan said: “There were people shouting to the police in panic: ‘He’s there, he’s there, come on!’ by appointing a hairdresser’.
The gunman opened fire on the Kurdish Cultural Center in the 10th arrondissement near the Gare du Nord
A witness told the French news agency AFP that seven or eight shots were fired, causing chaos in the street
Police managed to snatch the gun from him and arrest him to stop the horror rampage after bullets rang out in the city center near the Eurostar station
Stretchers were brought to the scene of the shooting and police set up a security perimeter.
The shooter’s motives remain unclear.
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into murder, willful homicide and aggravated assault.
Paris has been the target of a series of deadly gun and knife attacks in recent years.
The country’s deadliest terrorist attack ever occurred in November 2015, when 130 people were killed in various locations.
Suicide bombers who pledged allegiance to ISIS targeted the Stade de France, cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan music venue, where 90 people were killed.
Stretchers were brought to the scene of the shooting and police set up a security perimeter
Paris police said they were dealing with an incident on Rue d’Enghien and urged the public to stay away from the area
Local news outlets claim that two people have died and four have been injured so far
Two people have been killed and several seriously injured after an elderly gunman opened fire in Paris
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into murder, willful homicide and aggravated assault
Earlier this year, two Paris-born gunmen associated with al-Qaeda broke into the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 17 people inside and three outside.
In July 2016, 86 people were called and more than 400 injured when a 19-tonne truck deliberately drove into a crowd on the boulevard of Nice, just 32km from Cannes.
The terrorist turned out to be a Tunisian immigrant who was shot dead by police.
In the same month, two IS terrorists killed an 86-year-old Catholic priest during a church service in Normandy.
And in October 2020, three people were stabbed to death by a Tunisian immigrant at Notre Dame Basilica in Nice.
There have also been regular knife attacks on law enforcement officers, resulting in the deaths of police officers.