A gunman firing from a vehicle in the Paris suburbs killed one person and wounded at least five others, including a 12-year-old girl, in what French authorities described as a racially motivated attack. The suspect was arrested soon after the shooting, and France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s office took charge of the case.
President Emmanuel Macron said it was ‘a racist terror attack’ and that the suspect’s statements suggested it was premeditated. ‘These people were targeted because of their skin colour or perceived religion, and for no other reason,’ Macron said. ‘There is no place for this in France.’
Shootings at three locations
The shootings took place over the course of about 15 minutes at three separate locations in the towns of Trappes and La Verrière, a suburban area 20 miles from Paris, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said. One person died and five were wounded, three of them with life-threatening injuries, he said.
The suspect, who was arrested by police less than 20 minutes after he first started shooting, has been identified only as Kévin T., born in 1987, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s office said. Authorities did not disclose the man’s last name. His criminal record shows four previous convictions that had been automatically expunged under French law, the statement said.
Arrest and investigation
A search of his car uncovered a Sten-type submachine gun and a canister of tear gas, and investigators found his apartment had been booby-trapped with three gas cylinders and electrical wires connected to a timer, according to the Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s office. Another person, a member of the suspect’s immediate family, was also taken into police custody during the afternoon, it said.
The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office said the person who died was a French man born in 2000. The medical condition of the people injured had not yet stabilised on Friday evening, it said. Aurore Bergé, the minister for gender equality and the fight against discrimination, said the 12-year-old girl was very seriously injured.
Reaction and context
‘If a racist motive is established, I hope that the whole nation will stand alongside the residents of Trappes, La Verrière, and the victims. We cannot tolerate even the slightest racist remark in the French Republic,’ she said.
Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh said the gunman appeared to have fired relatively randomly, targeting passersby at several locations including a playground, possibly because of their apparent African origin. ‘This is probably one of the first attempted mass killings motivated by Islamophobia and racism,’ he told reporters.
The shooting happened as France braces for another day of protests against the high cost of living on Saturday, with major museums closing their doors and the government deploying a significantly larger security presence to prevent a repeat of last week’s violent unrest, which shocked the country.
