Two killed in shooting at Cafe near Paris, investigation underway

Two people have been killed in a shooting at a shisha cafe in Ivry-sur-Seine, a suburb of the French capital, as prosecutors investigate possible links to organized crime.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said Wednesday that the shooting took place overnight from Sunday into Monday at a cafe called L’Atelier. The cafe’s owner died at the scene, while a second victim died in hospital on Tuesday from injuries sustained in the attack.

A security source told Agence France-Presse that a cafe security guard also suffered minor injuries to one hand. Investigators found a stolen car that had been set on fire near the scene, with a Kalashnikov rifle inside.

Police arrested two suspects who were carrying a container of gasoline, on suspicion of involvement in setting the vehicle ablaze. Authorities have not established whether they were directly involved in the shooting.

French newspaper Le Parisien reported that the cafe owner, whom it described as a figure previously known in local criminal circles, may have been the target of a planned killing. The newspaper cited a theory that a woman carried out the attack with the help of two other people who remain at large. Judicial authorities have not officially confirmed this account.

The second victim was reportedly working as a parking attendant for the cafe’s customers and was shot by individuals suspected of taking part in the attack, according to the newspaper.

The cafe owner had previously survived an assassination attempt in April 2024, when he managed to escape an armed assailant, Le Parisien reported.

The investigation, led by judicial police and Paris’s criminal investigation unit, covers suspected murder and attempted murder by an organized group, the destruction of property by dangerous means, and alleged weapons offenses and participation in a criminal organization, the prosecutor’s office said.

Authorities are continuing their inquiries to identify the suspected perpetrators, establish a motive and determine whether the shooting was connected to previous disputes or criminal activities.