Three women were found shot dead inside the Kurdish Institute of Paris early Thursday as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the French capital to demand a speedy inquiry into the murders.
The three women were identified as Kurdish activist with the motive of the killings remaining unclear.
The bodies of the women were found shortly before 2am local time, according to police sources.
"The scene leads one to think of an execution, but the investigation will determine the exact circumstances," a police source told news agency AFP. One of the women has been identified as 32-year-old Fidan Dogan, who worked in the institute's information centre, according to the institute’s director, Leon Edart. The three were last seen midday on Wednesday at the centre, which was found locked by late afternoon, according to Edart. A Kurdish news website in France identified the other two victims as Sakine Cansiz, a member of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Leyla Soylemez, a young activist.