French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday described a deadly shooting in the towns of Trappes and La Verrière, west of Paris, as a racist attack and ‘a turning point’ for the country.
One person was killed and at least four others were wounded when a gunman opened fire from a car at three locations in the Yvelines department on Friday morning. A 12-year-old girl was among the injured.
‘What happened is a turning point in our Republic,’ Macron said after visiting Trappes, where he met the mayor, emergency workers and residents. He described the shooting as an attack carried out ‘on the basis of a racist ideology’, and warned that ‘racism has taken hold in public discourse’.
‘We will not give in, and we have nothing to give in on,’ he said. ‘The Republic will hold.’
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the attacker fired what appeared to be ‘a weapon of war, or in any case an automatic weapon’ from a vehicle during a deadly spree lasting about 15 minutes. He said the gunman had ‘clearly’ committed a ‘terrorist crime’.
Police arrested the suspect, a 39-year-old man identified by French media as Kévin T., in the nearby town of Coignières. According to a police source cited by Le JDD, he was already known to police for petty crime. A member of his family was also taken into custody on Friday evening, French media reported.
France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT) has opened an investigation into murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise.
Investigators are also examining whether the victims were targeted because of their real or perceived race, ethnicity, nationality or religion. The DGSI domestic intelligence agency is involved in the investigation.
A 26-year-old man was killed in Trappes, according to a police source cited by French media. Three men aged 21, 29 and 48 were seriously wounded, along with the 12-year-old girl, who was hit in La Verrière. The local mayor said her condition had been stabilised.
Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh said the gunman appeared to be ‘firing at random’ and ‘seemed intent on carrying out a massacre’. He called it ‘a racist, probably Islamophobic attack’, and said it was ‘a miracle that there were not more victims’.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu called the shooting ‘very serious’ and said all resources had been mobilised.
The French Council of the Muslim Faith described it as a ‘probable Islamophobic terrorist attack’. Politicians across the spectrum, including former president François Hollande, National Rally leaders Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, and Gabriel Attal, expressed support for the victims and called for a swift investigation.
The attack comes as France is already gripped by tension after a week of violent protests, with further demonstrations planned for Saturday.
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