Macron calls Trappes shooting a ‘racist terrorist attack’

President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called a drive-by shooting west of Paris "a terrorist and racist attack" and said it "marks a turning point for the Republic and our country." A gunman firing from a car killed one person and wounded five others, including a 12-year-old girl, according to Reuters via Deccan Herald and AFP via The Peninsula. Macron told reporters the victims had been targeted only because of their religion and the colour of their skin.france24.com+1

A burst of gunfire across two towns

The attack began at about 10:30 a.m. in Trappes and nearby La Verrière in the Yvelines department, and a 39-year-old suspect was arrested soon after in Coignières. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the gunman fired at a children's playground, a fuel station and a medical centre during an attack that lasted less than 15 minutes. He said the weapon appeared to be military-grade, or at least automatic. According to a police source, the suspect lives in nearby Plaisir. He was carrying a submachine gun and tear-gas grenades, and he had a police record but was not known to intelligence services. Anti-terrorism prosecutors said he had also booby-trapped his flat with three gas canisters wired to a timer.france24.com+3

La Verrière mayor Nicolas Dainville said the 12-year-old girl was shot eight times. She is seriously wounded but in stable condition. Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh said the person who died was of African origin and that a critically wounded victim was of North African origin. He described "a terrorist attack with racist, probably Islamophobic, overtones".france24.com+1

Terrorism investigation opened

The national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office (PNAT) took over the case. It opened an investigation into murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, with the aggravating circumstance that the crimes targeted victims' real or supposed race, ethnicity, nation or religion. The investigation also covers possession of a Category A weapon and terrorist criminal conspiracy. Nuñez visited both towns and called the shooting "clearly a terrorist crime". Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu called the case "very serious".euronews.com+2

A country already on edge

Trappes is a working-class town with a large Muslim and immigrant population. The attack came as France deals with riots linked to mass protests over the cost of living. A week of overnight curfews has been in place, and police plan a larger presence for protests expected this weekend. Rabeh called for "republican concord".france24.com+2