Paris shooting: at least three dead and several injured after gunman opens fire in 10th arrondissement

At least three people have been killed and three others hurt in a central Paris shooting which targeted a Kurdish cultural centre, French authorities have said.

A 69-year-old man has been arrested. Anti-terrorism prosecutors are investigating the shooting but have not indicated any sign of a terrorist motive. “The shooter has been arrested with his weapon. The danger is over,” a police source told the AFP news agency. “His motives remain unknown at this stage.”

Witnesses said the man opened fire at a group of people without warning. Two died at the scene, while another passed away in hospital. One person remains in hospital in a critical condition.

Police have taped off the area in the Rue d’Enghien, in the 10th arrondissement of the French capital not far from the Gare de l’Est, with people warned to stay away. The street, close to Château d’Eau metro station, has several restaurants and shops as well as a Kurdish cultural centre.

"It's total panic, we've locked ourselves in," the BBC reported a witness saying, who said she head seven or eight bursts of gunfire. As police detained the suspect they recovered the weapon used in the attack, reports said.

The mayor of the 10th arrondissement, Alexandra Cordebard, said the gunman was seriously wounded when he was arrested. He is French and is a retired ticket inspector on the SNCF rail network, Le Parisien reported. Police said they are still verifying his identity.

While Paris Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed three people have died, one is in a critical condition and two others are in hospital with less serious injuries. The attacker was also wounded in the face, she said.

France was hit by a string of deadly attacks by Islamic extremists in 2015 and 2016 and remains on alert for terror-related violence.

While in 2013, three women Kurdish activists, including Sakine Cansiz – a founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK – were found shot dead at a Kurdish centre in Paris. A Turkish citizen was charged with their killing, although suspicion also fell on the Turkish intelligence service. Turkey’s army has been battling against Kurdish militants affiliated with the banned PKK, in south-east Turkey as well as in northern Iraq.