Follow-Up: Trappes Shooting Suspect Said He Targeted Black and Arab People to Avenge Robbed Shopkeepers, Anti-Terror Probe Widens
A drive-by shooting on the morning of October 23 in Trappes and the neighboring commune of La Verrière, outside Paris, killed one person and wounded five others, including a 12-year-old girl. French President Emmanuel Macron that evening described the attack as a "racist terrorist attack." On October 24, new details emerged: Le Monde, citing multiple sources, reported that the 39-year-old suspect, Kevin T., told the first police officers on the scene that he had acted to "avenge the shopkeepers" and that he had targeted "Black people and Arabs."
The shooting began at around 10 a.m. on October 23, according to reports. The suspect, driving a gray Renault Clio, fired at a petrol station, a medical center and a children's playground. A 26-year-old man was killed near the playground, and the 12-year-old girl, who was shot eight times, was seriously wounded and taken to a children's hospital. The suspect was arrested about 20 minutes later in nearby Coignières. Investigators found his home had been booby-trapped, apparently intended to harm anyone who entered to investigate.
France's National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) has taken over the investigation. Reporting on October 24 said the probe had been widened to include a charge of "conspiracy with a terrorist group for the purpose of preparing crimes against persons," and that the suspect's anti-terrorism custody had been extended by 24 hours. Investigators were still awaiting confirmation on whether he would repeat his reported racist statements during formal questioning. A member of the suspect's immediate family circle was also taken into custody, according to reports. Local lawmaker Laurent Mazaury said the suspect had told police he wanted to "kill foreigners." Investigators were examining whether the suspect had links to far-right extremists; as of October 24, no connection to any political organization had been established.
Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh had earlier called the shooting "racist" and "Islamophobic." Macron said on the evening of October 23 that it was the first time France had seen "a planned terrorist act aimed at killing our compatriots and our children for the color of their skin or what their religion is thought to be." The shooting came days after looting and vandalism followed nationwide protests on October 17; the suspect reportedly referred to the robbed shopkeepers, and investigators were checking what connection, if any, that had to the attack.
Source: GSM·USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 法国巴黎郊区特拉普市政厅（Henry Salomé 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0）— via Wikimedia Commons / Trappes town hall in the Paris suburbs, France (Henry Salomé, CC BY-SA 3.0) — via Wikimedia Commons
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