One person was killed and at least four others were wounded, including a 12-year-old girl, when shots were fired from a car in two towns west of Paris on Friday. A suspect was arrested and France’s anti-terrorism prosecutors are investigating whether the attack was racially motivated.
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The shootings took place in Trappes and La Verrière, two suburbs in the Yvelines department west of Paris.
The attacker fired at five people in different locations from a vehicle, using “what appears to have been a military-grade weapon, or at least an automatic weapon”, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said.
The suspect, a 39-year-old man, was arrested in nearby Coignières and placed in police custody. He was not known to the intelligence services.
Police searching his home later found gas cylinders that had been rigged inside the flat, news channel BFMTV reported, citing several sources.
Several locations in Trappes were targeted, including a petrol station, a health centre and a playground, Mayor Ali Rabeh told BFMTV. The man killed was a 29-year-old of African origin, while another of North African origin was critically wounded.
“The gunman was clearly shooting at random and wanted to cause carnage,” Rabeh said. “It is a miracle that there were not more victims.”
A 12-year-old girl was wounded in La Verrière, while two men aged 29 and 49 were also targeted and taken to hospital, the town’s mayor Nicolas Dainville said.
Prosecutors have urged caution over the casualty figures and will release confirmed details of the victims later, the daily Le Parisien reported.
Possible racist motive
The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office has taken charge of the case.
The shootings appeared to be part of a deadly rampage, Nuñez said when asked about the motive, adding that the involvement of anti-terror prosecutors was already a strong indication.
The investigation covers murder and attempted murder linked to terrorism, including whether the acts were committed because of a victim’s actual or perceived race, ethnicity, nationality or religion.
“The anti-terrorism prosecutor taking up the case ... suggests this was a terrorist attack with racist overtones, judging by the reasons it has given,” Rabeh told public broadcaster FranceInfo.
The shooting came as France prepared for protests on Saturday over the high cost of living, with security stepped up to prevent a repeat of last week’s violent unrest.
“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all the residents of Yvelines,” President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, saying he was deeply moved and thanking police for the arrest.
(with newswires)