One Person Killed in Suspected Islamophobic Shooting Near Paris
A gunman has killed one person and wounded five others, including a 12-year-old girl, in a suspected Islamophobic attack in the Paris suburbs. The attack occurred in the towns of Trappes and La Verriere, outside the capital, on Friday.
According to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, the suspect fired at a children's playground, a fuel station, and a medical centre, using what appeared to be a military-grade or automatic weapon. Three of the victims, including the 12-year-old girl, suffered life-threatening injuries. Nunez stated that the attack lasted less than 15 minutes.
Prosecutors are treating the incident as a "terrorist crime" and investigating whether it was racially or religiously motivated. Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh described the gunman as "firing at random and seeming intent on carrying out a massacre." Rabeh also stated that two of the victims were of African and North African origins.
French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the attack, saying that national antiterrorism prosecutors have taken over the case. Security has been tightened ahead of protests expected across the country this weekend, with 70,000 officers to be deployed nationwide, along with helicopters, armoured vehicles, and water cannon.
