Paris shooting suspect driven by 'pathological' hatred of foreigners, prosecutors say

The 69-year-old man accused of killing three people in Paris allegedly told investigators he had developed a "pathological" hatred of foreigners and described all "non-European foreigners" as his enemies.

Members of France's Kurdish community and anti-racism activists held a peaceful demonstration in Paris on Saturday, 24 December 2022. Source: AAP / AP

key points

• The 69-year-old man said he had set out that morning aiming to kill migrants or foreigners and then himself.
• He told investigators he didn't know his victims and described all "non-European foreigners" as his enemies.
• He was detained at the scene and transferred on Saturday to psychiatric care. His name hasn't been released.

A suspect accused of gunning down three Kurdish people in Paris told investigators of his "pathological" hatred of migrants, the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday.

The 69-year-old man said he had set out that morning aiming to kill migrants or foreigners and then himself, according to prosecutors.

He was detained at the scene and transferred on Saturday to psychiatric care. His name hasn't been released.

If he is released from psychiatric care, he faces potential charges of racially motivated murder, attempted murder and arms violations.

The prosecutor's office said in a statement on Sunday that the suspect told investigators a 2016 burglary at his home marked a turning point for him, sparking what he called a "hatred toward foreigners that became completely pathological".

The shooting in a bustling Parisian neighbourhood shook and angered the Kurdish community and stirred up concerns about hate crimes at a time when far-right voices have gained prominence in France and around Europe.

Demonstrators turn a car over during a protest against the recent shooting at the Kurdish culture center in Paris, on Saturday, 24 December 2022. Source: AAP / AP

The suspect told investigators that the morning of the shooting, he took his weapon first to the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis with the aim of killing foreigners but changed his mind, the prosecutor's statement said.

He then went to the Kurdish centre in Paris, which is near his parents' home. He opened fire on one woman and two men there, then entered a Kurdish-run hair salon across the street and fired on three men.

One of the wounded men in the hair salon managed to stop him and hold him until police arrived, the prosecutor's statement said.

He told investigators he didn't know his victims and described all "non-European foreigners" as his enemies, the statement said.

Two of the injured were still hospitalised on Sunday with leg injuries.

Investigators are studying his computer and phone but haven't found any confirmed links to extremist ideology, the statement said.

On Saturday, members of France's Kurdish community and anti-racism activists joined together in a demonstration of mourning and anger. The gathering was largely peaceful, with marchers holding portraits of the victims.