French President Emmanuel Macron denounced a Friday shooting at a Kurdish community center in Paris that left three people dead as "an odious attack."
Three others were wounded in the shooting.
"The Kurds in France have been the target of an odious attack in the heart of Paris," Macron wrote on Twitter.
"Thoughts for the people who are fighting for their lives, their families and their loved ones. Thanks to the security forces for their courage and sang-froid."
Police deployed outside the cultural center used teargas to disperse Kurdish protesters who tried to break through a police cordon protecting Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin who had arrived at the scene, AFP reporters said.
Demonstrators threw objects at police in response, set rubbish bins on fire and erected barricades, they said.
Several cars parked in the area as well as police vehicles had their windows smashed as protesters threw bricks.
The attacker, a retired train driver, "was clearly targeting foreigners", Darmanin told reporters at the scene, adding however that it was "not certain" that the man was aiming to kill "Kurds in particular".
Darmanin said: "We don't yet know his exact motives."
