Clashes in Paris after three people killed in shooting at Kurdish centre

Clashes have erupted in Paris after three people were killed in a shooting at a Kurdish cultural centre that the French government said appeared to have been racially motivated.

Prosecutors said police detained the alleged gunman, who had previous convictions for assault and possession of an illegal weapon, and seized a weapon within minutes of the shooting. He was wounded in the face and taken to hospital.

Several hundred Kurds gathered outside the centre and in the streets nearby on Friday afternoon in protest at the shootings, clashing at times violently with security forces, throwing rocks and setting fire to rubbish bins. Police responded with teargas and 11 officers were wounded, police said.

Two Sudanese men needed hospital treatment for their wounds after that December 2021 attack, on a camp in the 12th arrondissement, according to reports. The man slashed six tents with a sword before being overpowered, the NGO Utopia56 said.

The Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, said psychological assistance would be made available to people affected by the incident.

France experienced a string of deadly attacks by Islamic extremists in 2015 and 2016, and remains on alert for terrorism-related violence.