Macron condemns ‘racist terrorist attack’ after Paris suburb shooting kills one, injures five

New Delhi: A gunman killed a 26-year-old man and wounded five people, including a 12-year-old girl, during a series of shootings in Trappes and neighbouring La Verriere, west of Paris, on Friday. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, visited the area as national anti-terrorism prosecutors launched an investigation into possible racist targeting.

The shooting unfolded over about 15 minutes in the Yvelines department, about 30 kilometres from central Paris. The attacker fired repeatedly from a vehicle at several locations, including a petrol station, a medical centre and a children’s playground, according to French officials.

The man who was killed was a French national born in 2000, prosecutors confirmed. The injured girl was taken to Necker children’s hospital in Paris, while another victim, a 21-year-old man, suffered serious gunshot wounds, according to Le Monde.

The interior minister, Laurent Nunez, initially said three of those wounded had life-threatening injuries. The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said on Friday evening that the conditions of the five injured victims had not yet stabilized, although the mayor of La Verriere, Nicolas Dainville, had earlier reported an improvement in the girl’s condition.

Police arrested a 39-year-old suspect, identified by prosecutors as Kevin T., in nearby Coignieres shortly after the shooting. Officers recovered a Sten-type submachine gun and a tear-gas canister from his vehicle, according to the prosecutor’s office.

During a search of his residence in Plaisir, bomb disposal teams found three gas cylinders connected by electrical wires to a timer, which suggested a possible booby trap. A member of the suspect’s immediate family was also detained for questioning.

Prosecutors opened a murder investigation and attempted murder connected to a terrorist enterprise, including whether victims were targeted because of their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, nationality or religion. Suspected terrorist conspiracy and unlawful possession of a prohibited weapon are also under investigation.

The investigation has not conclusively established the suspect’s motive or any specific ideological affiliation.

Macron condemns racism, calls for national unity

Macron visited Trappes on Friday evening and condemned the shooting as a racist terrorist attack. He described the incident as a turning point for France.
“What happened today marks a turning point for our country; what happened today was a terrorist and racist attack,” Macron said.

“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.”
Macron also said statements attributed to the suspect suggested that the attack had been premeditated.

The mayor of Trappes, Ali Rabeh, separately described the shooting as racist and potentially Islamophobic, suggesting that people of African and North African origin had been targeted. His assessment remains subject to the ongoing investigation.

Le Monde reported on Saturday that investigators had not established the suspect’s motives, while available intelligence checks had revealed no known links to far-right organizations. According to the latest reported prosecutorial update, the suspect remained in police custody, with investigators continuing to examine the circumstances of the shooting.