Trappes Shooting Near Paris: Macron Calls It a "Racist Terrorist Attack"; 1 Killed, 5 Wounded, 39-Year-Old Suspect Arrested
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday, October 23, described a drive-by shooting that morning in the Paris suburbs of Trappes and La Verrière as a "racist terrorist attack." The gunman fired from his car at several locations over about 15–20 minutes, killing one person and wounding five — including a 12-year-old girl shot eight times; the 39-year-old suspect was arrested.
According to CNN, the Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal, the shooting began at about 10:30 a.m. in Trappes and La Verrière, about 30 kilometers southwest of Paris. Driving a grey Renault Clio, the gunman opened fire at a petrol station, a medical centre, a children's playground and a pharmacy. The person killed was a man of African descent; three of the five wounded were in life-threatening condition, and the 12-year-old girl, hit eight times, was in serious condition. Police arrested the suspect in nearby Coignières less than 20 minutes after the first alert. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's office (PNAT) took charge of the case.
Prosecutors identified the suspect as Kévin T., 39 (born in 1987), with four previous convictions automatically expunged under French law. A search of his car uncovered a World War II-era Sten-type submachine gun and a canister of tear gas; his apartment had been booby-trapped with three gas cylinders and electrical wires connected to a timer. A member of the suspect's immediate family was also detained Friday afternoon.
After meeting officials and residents in Trappes on Friday evening, Macron told reporters: "What happened today is, I am telling you, a turning point, because it is the first time we have had a terrorist act that was planned to kill our compatriots, our children, based on the colour of their skin or their religion." He said the gunman had deliberately chosen not to fire on some people because of their skin colour and appearance. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called it a "murderous expedition." Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh, whose parents came from Morocco, called it a "racist" and "Islamophobic" attack: "The people targeted today could just as easily have been my mother, my brothers or my sisters-in-law."
The attack came after nationwide protests turned violent last Saturday and ahead of further demonstrations planned for this weekend. (GSM, from CNN, the Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal)
Source: GSM·USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 特拉普市政厅。照片：Rémih，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Trappes town hall. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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