French police have taken a man into custody on suspicion of carrying out recent gun attacks in Paris, prosecutors said, as reported by BBC News. The suspect, identified as Abdelhakim Dekhar, opened fire at the "Libération" newspaper in the French capital, and reportedly attacked the headquarters of the Societe Generale bank.
The suspect was reportedly apprehended from a stationary car "in an underground car park following a tip-off from a member of the public," BBC News reported. The suspect bore a strong resemblance to the person shown in surveillance camera footage in recent days.
A source said that the suspect was thought to be "under medication and was not in a state to be questioned immediately, but police were testing his DNA against traces found on cartridges left behind by the gunman," Reuters reported.
The gunman entered the Paris offices of "Libération," near the Place de la Republicque in the east of the city on Monday morning at about 10:15, opening fire. He shot a freelance photographer in the chest and stomach at the office, BBC News also reported. The gunman did not say a word before escaping, news reports said.
The suspect reportedly then disappeared into the crowds of Paris' Champs-Elysees boulevard.
"In a democracy, when someone enters a newspaper office with a gun, this is very, very serious, whatever the person's mental state," said Libération's publisher Nicolas Demorand.
The bank Societe Generale confirmed two hours later that the suspect opened fire outside its headquarters. No one was injured in the attack, according to a spokesman at the bank.
"One witness of the bank shooting told Le Figaro that he heard a large bang and saw a man wearing a khaki coat and a cap and carrying a shotgun," BBC News reported on Monday.
