Terror Probe Launched After Paris Suburb Shooting Leaves One Dead, Four Injured
A gunman opened fire from his car in the Paris suburbs on Friday, killing one person and injuring four others, including a 12-year-old girl who was shot eight times. The attack is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism.
The suspect, a 39-year-old man, was arrested in nearby Coignières after driving through the southwestern working-class towns of Trappes and La Verrière, firing an automatic weapon at a petrol station, a medical centre, and a children's playground. Police found a submachine gun and tear-gas grenades in his possession.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the shooting as "clearly a terrorist crime" and said the gunman was "firing at random, wanting to cause a bloodbath". Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh said the attack was "objectively a racist, probably Islamophobic attack" and called for national unity.
The victims were mostly of foreign origin, and prosecutors are investigating whether they were targeted because of their "real or supposed race, ethnicity, nationality or religion". One of the injured is in critical condition and is of North African origin.
The attack comes at a time of heightened tension in France, following nationwide protests that turned violent last Saturday and ahead of possible unrest this weekend. The anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the shooting, which is being treated as a terrorist act.
