A man who had just been released from custody for a racist attack went on a rampage near a Kurdish cultural centre in Paris on Friday killing three people and injuring three others.
Two people died at the Centre Culturel Kurde Ahmet Kaya and the others were gunned down in a nearby restaurant and hairdressing salon before the assailant was overpowered by passers-by.
A 69-year-old man was taken into custody.
Panic erupted around midday along a busy shopping street in the 10th arrondissement of Paris after shots were heard near the centre in Rue d'Enghien.
French interior minister Gérald Darmanin, who was on a visit to a police station nearly 300 kilometres away in Tourcoing, northern France, returned to Paris under the orders of President Emmanuel Macron to oversee the initial stages of the investigation into the incident.
"He was clearly targeting foreigners," Darmanin said. "He wasn't on the list of the anti-terrorist squads. It's not clear if there was a political motivation to his actions. Police don't have evidence at this stage that he was specifically aiming to hurt Kurds."
Fights
Skirmishes erupted in the area as Darmanin toured. Members of the Kurdish community shouted slogans against the Turkish government, and police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Several rubbish bins were set on fire.
The Paris prosecutor's office said on Friday night that an investigation into murder, manslaughter and aggravated violence had been opened.
Darmanin was also expected to meet Kurdish community leaders on Friday night to assess the threats to Kurdish targets.
Authorities will face embarrassing questions over the sequence of events.
The man, described as a French retired train driver, was jailed for attacking two migrants with a sabre at a makeshift camp in eastern Paris last year.
Under the terms of his release on 12 December, he was prohibited from handling a weapon.
But it emerged that he attended a shooting range in a sports club, and had several registered weapons.
"I'd like to express my sincere condolences to the families of the victims," Darmanin added. "And best wishes to the families of those who are injured and recovering.
"I'd also like to express my support for the Kurdish community that has been hit by this attack."
The shooting comes nearly 10 years after the assassination of three Kurdish activists in Paris on 9 January 2013.
(with wires)
