Islamophobic shooting in Parisian suburb: one dead and five wounded in Trappes
A 39-year-old man opened fire from a vehicle in Trappes and La Verrière, killing one person and wounding five others. The PNAT opened a counter-terrorism investigation.
An "attack with racist connotations" leaves one dead and five wounded in Yvelines
Ledevoir.com reported that a 39-year-old man opened fire in bursts from a vehicle on Friday morning in two municipalities in the Parisian suburbs, Trappes and La Verrière, in the Yvelines department, killing one person and wounding five others, including a 12-year-old child.
The incidents occurred around 10:30 a.m. The suspect, who lives in Plaisir, a few kilometres from the shooting locations, was apprehended in Coignières shortly afterwards. He was in possession of a submachine gun and tear gas grenades. Listed in the Judicial Records Processing system (TAJ), he was previously unknown to territorial intelligence. He was taken into police custody.
The National Counter-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) quickly seized the case and announced the opening of an investigation for "murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, with the circumstance that the acts were committed on grounds of true or supposed membership of an alleged race, ethnicity, nation or determined religion".
The mayor of Trappes, Ali Rabeh, described the shooting as "an attack with racist connotations, probably Islamophobic", considering it was "probably one of the first, a first attempt at mass killing with Islamophobic and racist connotations". He called for "republican unity" and indicated on BFMTV that the gunman "clearly was shooting randomly and wanted to cause a massacre". He specified that "the deceased person is of African origin and the person in critical condition is of North African origin".
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who visited the scene accompanied by the minister responsible for combating discrimination, Aurore Bergé, condemned a "terrorist crime" and "an extremely serious act", welcoming the fact that the "murderous spree" had been halted.
Nicolas Dainville, mayor of La Verrière, specified to AFP that a 12-year-old girl had been seriously wounded by eight bullet impacts, but that her condition was now "stabilised". He added that two cleaners, "of African appearance", had been hit while cleaning a school, the suspect having exited his vehicle to shoot at them.
Residents of Trappes testified to their fear to AFP. One of them, Samy, saw a body lying on the ground from his window; his mother, present in the street, heard detonations and saw a grey Clio "speeding past". Another resident, Adel, 50, stated: "Clearly, right now, my heart is broken and what drives me is fear. Simply because the profile of the victims, they are profiles of people who are racialised. And I myself am of North African origin and it's frightening for all people who have this same profile in the town."
Republic President Emmanuel Macron stated on X that "the Nation" stood "with" the victims and residents of the municipalities affected by this "terrible ordeal". Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the acts as "very serious".
A psychological support cell has been put in place for residents of the affected districts.
Source: 7sur7 Faits Divers