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French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron labelled a gun attack in a Parisian Suburb, which killed one and injured five others, a "racist terrorist attack".
Macron said the attack was a "turning point in the life of our Republic and our nation", the first time there has ever been a random racial killing like this.
The attack lasted fifteen minutes. The attacker opened fire from his car in Trappes, which lies south‑west of Paris. Then the attacker moved to La Verrière. The attacker seemed to aim at people of origin. The attacker was arrested afterwards.
Macron Condemns Suspected Racist Attack as Anti-Terrorism Prosecutors
Three injured people, one of them a 12‑year‑old girl, remain in condition. When Macron visited the scene of the attack in Trappes, he said people had been targeted for skin colour or religion. Macron urged the public not to give an inch to the ideologies which Macron said were taking root.
The exact motive remains unclear. The National Anti‑Terrorist Prosecutors Office, known as PNAT, said the incident appeared to be a murder in connection with an enterprise. The suspect has been named by the media as Kevin T. According to PNAT, Kevin T had four previous convictions that had been automatically expunged. The 39‑year‑old Kevin T was known to police. Not to French intelligence services, according to local media.
The anti‑terrorism prosecutor’s office told BFMTV that he was not on a list of people who were seen as a serious threat to French security. The office also added that a member of the suspect’s family circle was taken into custody on Friday.
France shooting incident
Ali Rabeh, the Mayor of Trappes, said that an individual fired shots from his vehicle at people he encountered on Friday morning. Witnesses say the gunman drove through neighbourhoods in a grey Renault Clio. Rabeh said the gunman had fired randomly with the intention of causing as many casualties as possible that he wanted to cause carnage. The mayor said people were targeted at a petrol station, a centre and a playground, in Trappes before the attacker drove on to nearby La Verrière. A police union official said the suspect was detained in La Verrière on the N10 road that runs through the town.
12-Year-Old Girl Shot Eight Times in France
The mother of the injured 12-year-old told French broadcaster RTL that her daughter had eight gunshot wounds and needed surgery. "How could anyone do this to a child?" she asked. The mother said her daughter had been wearing a headscarf and wondered if that might have been the reason she was attacked. "She's a child who was born in France in Trappes. She has the right to live in France to make her life, in France," she added.
The attacker reportedly travelled down a road, shooting sometimes from the attacker's car window. A local police chief told BFMTV that the attacker had used "an older‑style semi‑automatic weapon”, with bursts of fire. Le Parisien reports that the weapon dated back to World War Two. PNAT said the investigation also includes "possession of a Category A weapon" – which includes military‑grade weapons or weapons of firing in bursts.
The anti-terrorist office also said its investigation is looking into "conspiracy with a terrorist group for the purpose of preparing crimes against persons".
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