The suspect, 22, allegedly shot five people in a migrant camp in Loon-Plage commune near Dunkirk, located about ten kilometers from the English Channel. Police said he turned himself in and claimed responsibility for the killings.
Local authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
“Two of the people killed are Kurdish refugees from Rojhelat and their names are Mohammed and Hadi,” human rights activist and journalist Ranj Pzhdary told Rudaw.
The two young men were in Greece and had gone to Dunkirk in France to cross the English Channel into the UK, according to Pzhdary.
The Dunkirk area, located 235 km north of Paris, is known for migrants attempting to cross the English Channel into the UK via small boats.
“The two men were alive and their bodies were warm for a long time, but they were not transferred [to a hospital] and their bodies were still in the forest a few hours after the incident,” Pzhdary said, citing a witness.
French media reported that after the suspected shooter turned himself in, the police found 5 firearms in his vehicle.
The motive behind the shooting remains unknown.
Tens of thousands of people from Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and Iran take on perilous routes out of the country towards Europe on a yearly basis in hopes of escaping the endless crises in their areas, including the lack of employment, political instability, a fragile economy, and rampant corruption.
The UK is a popular destination for many, but crossing the English Channel is dangerous and can be deadly.
