Three women belonging to a Kurdish militant group were shot “execution style” in Paris on Thursday, according to police.
The women, including Sakine Cansiz–who founded the Kurdistan Workers Party–were reportedly all shot in the head at the Kurdistan Information Center. Investigators say that because a key code is needed in order to enter the building, they suspect the slayings to be the work of other Kurdish rebels. The other two victims have been named as Leyla Soylemez and Fidan Dogan, though Paris investigators haven’t confirmed their identity.
In the aftermath of the killings, some Kurds are blaming Turkish troops, and Turkish groups are blaming the Kurds– particularly the Kurdistan Workers Party, whom they consider to be a terrorist group. Both parties are anxious for investigators to shed light on any aspect of the murders they uncover.
Selahattin Demirtas, the leader of a Kurdish political party in Turkey’s parliament, said, “We want it to be known that that these assassinations which were carried in the busiest area of Paris cannot be covered up.”