Suspected racist terror attack near Paris leaves one dead and five wounded

A gunman opened fire from a vehicle in the Paris suburbs of Trappes and La Verrière on Friday, killing one person and injuring five others in what authorities call a racist terrorist attack.

The 15-minute shooting spree began around 10:30 a.m. and targeted several locations, including a petrol station, a medical center, and a children’s playground. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the event as a rampage involving an automatic or military-grade weapon. President Emmanuel Macron visited the scene in Trappes, stating the victims were targeted because of their religion and the color of their skin.

Police arrested a 39-year-old suspect, identified by prosecutors as Kevin T., in the neighboring town of Coignières. According to Deutsche Welle and France 24, authorities found a WWII-era Sten submachine gun and a tear gas grenade in his car. Anti-terrorism prosecutors also discovered that the suspect's apartment had been booby-trapped with gas canisters connected to a timer.

The person killed was of African origin, and one of the wounded is a 12-year-old girl who was shot eight times. Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh said the gunman was firing at random to cause a bloodbath, targeting people of foreign backgrounds. While Reuters reported four individuals were wounded, The Guardian, France 24, and Euronews updated the count to five injured victims.

The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office is investigating the incident as a murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said all security and judicial resources are mobilized. Investigators are looking into whether the attack specifically targeted the victims' race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.

Background

Trappes and La Verrière are working-class towns located about 20 kilometers west of Paris. Mayor Ali Rabeh noted that this incident likely represents one of the first attempted mass killings in France motivated by Islamophobia and racism.