Paris shooter has ‘pathological’ hatred for foreigners: Prosecutor

By Alaattin Dogru and Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) - The perpetrator of the Friday’s shooting in the French capital that left three people dead has “pathological” hatred for foreigners, Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said on Sunday.

According to Beccuau, the 69-year-old attacker, who was removed from custody for health reasons on Saturday and taken to a psychiatric facility, said that he wanted to kill foreigners after a robbery in his home in 2016.

The attacker, who was understood to be “depressive” and “suicidal,” said that he initially wanted to kill people in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, which hosts a large immigrant population, before deciding to go to the 10th district where the shooting eventually took place.

The attacker, named as William M. by the local media, added that his only regret is not being able to commit suicide.

According to the media, William M., the retired train driver from SNCF, was convicted of armed violence in 2016 by a court in Saint-Denis but appealed. A year later, he was also convicted of illegally possessing a firearm.

More recently, in 2021, he was charged with a racist attack after he allegedly stabbed migrants and slashed their tents with a sword in a park in eastern Paris.

On Friday, a gunman in Paris opened fire, killing at least three people and injuring three others, according to local media reports.

Police chief Laurent Nunez said on Saturday that at least 31 French police officers were injured in violent acts perpetrated by supporters of the PKK terrorist group in Paris.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. Though normally officially banned, the terrorist group also has a presence in numerous European countries.