The French authorities arrest the perpetrator

3 killed in an armed attack on a Kurdish cafe in Paris

French police secure the street after the shooting incident in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.

A.F.B

Three people were killed and three others injured after a gunman opened fire on a Kurdish cultural center and a nearby Kurdish café in central Paris on Monday, as prosecutors said they were looking into whether there was a racist motive behind the attack.

Several shots were fired on Rue Ding'an, a street lined with small shops and cafes in the capital's 10th arrondissement, causing panic.

The authorities announced that they had arrested a 69-year-old man and that the incident was over.

"The Kurds were the ones who were targeted," Joan Golan-Ellberg, an artist with the Kurdish Center, told Reuters.

The Paris Prosecutor stated that the detainee is known to the French authorities, and that any possible racist aspect behind the shooting will be examined.

Julien Verblanc, who works at another restaurant in the area, said that the staff at the Kurdish café came out of the building crying after the shooting.

Alexandra Cordoba, the mayor of the region, described the incident to reporters as a "terrible tragedy", and explained that the injuries of two of the injured were serious.

The Paris prosecutor's office said it had opened an investigation into premeditated murder, manslaughter and excessive violence.

The prosecutor explained that the suspected gunman was arrested a year ago on charges of attacking a migrant camp in Paris with a sword, and was being investigated for a racially motivated crime.

BFM TV reported that the suspect was French.

Armed police imposed a security cordon, while investigators continued to examine the site.

A witness stated that seven or eight shots were fired creating chaos in the street.

Another witness told BFM television that the suspect opened fire silently.

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