The gunman who opened fire on a crowd of people in Paris had a history of anti-migrant violence, officials said Friday.
Suspected racist motivations behind the attack will be investigated, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said.
Visiting the site of the shooting, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the gunman was not previously known by intelligence officials for membership in ultra-right-wing groups or extremism.
The suspect "obviously" acted alone, Darmanin said. He will testify soon after his treatment in the hospital, he added.
The man "was targeting foreigners" Darmanin told reporters while adding it was "not certain" that he was aiming to kill "Kurds in particular."
Darmanin also said an official investigation will help shed light on the incident.
Despite pro-PKK circles' claims, there appears to be no evidence that Friday's shooting had political motives or was linked to Türkiye, Agency France-Press (AFP) reported.
French authorities have been extremely cautious about suggesting a motive, with early suspicions being racism.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, who visited the scene earlier, said the suspect carried out two attacks in the past, including slashing at least two migrants with a sword in a Paris camp last year, police and judicial sources told AFP.
The man is believed to have slashed several tents in the migrant camp at Bercy park in eastern Paris on Dec. 8, 2021.
In June 2016, he was convicted of armed violence by a court in the northeastern suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, which he appealed.
A year later, he was given a suspended six-month prison sentence for illegally possessing firearms, judicial sources told AFP.
An investigation has been launched into homicide, attempted homicide, and deliberate acts of armed violence, Beccuau added.
Meanwhile, the suspect, identified as William M., was a train driver and had retired from France's national state-owned railway company Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer français (SNCF) and had been staying with his relatives since being released with judicial control on Dec. 12, sources said.
Terrorist PKK sympathizers clashed with French security forces on Friday, leaving at least six police officers injured, after a deadly shooting.
The police responded with tear gas to the violence by the terrorist group supporters.
The violence started in the area after French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin visited the site of a shooting on Enghien Street in the center of Paris.
Some pro-PKK protesters could be seen throwing objects at police and setting rubbish bins on fire, while several cars were damaged during the disturbances.
A 69-year-old gunman in Paris had earlier opened fire, killing at least three people and injuring three others, local media reported.
He was placed in custody and an investigation was launched.
