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A gunman firing from his car killed one person and wounded four in the Paris suburb of Trappes on Friday, authorities said, and prosecutors investigating the case as a potential terrorist act. Officials say at least two of the victims were from immigrant backgrounds.
The man, who was arrested shortly after, was “firing at random, wanting to cause a bloodbath” as he drove through Trappes and neighbouring La Verriere, Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh told broadcaster BFMTV.
A 12-year-old girl was “seriously wounded” after being shot eight times, but is in stable condition, the mayor of La Verriere, Nicolas Dainville, told the Agence France-Press news agency.
The alleged shooter — a 39-year-old man, according to a source familiar with the case — was arrested in the nearby town of Coignieres.
Rabeh, who said the man was firing in a “relatively random” manner, noted that the person killed was “of African origin” and one of the wounded, “in critical condition, is of north African origin.”
Prosecutors said they were investigating whether the acts targeted the “real or supposed race, ethnicity, nationality or religion” of the victims. They said they have opened an investigation for “murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise.”
The mayor added that he did not want to say anything “definitive” about the motive yet but called it a “miracle” that there were not more casualties.
Bursts of gunfire and “loud bangs”
A police source told AFP that the gunman had fired in bursts from his vehicle around 10:30 a.m. local time.
Samy, a resident of Trappes, about 13 miles west of Paris, told AFP he saw a body on the ground from his window.
His mother, he said, saw a grey Renault Clio car speeding by and heard “loud bangs.”
Writing on X, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the case was “very serious” and that “all resources of the security forces and the judiciary are fully mobilised.”
President Emmanuel Macron said “the nation is standing with” the victims of this “terrible ordeal.”
Trappes previously experienced tensions after a teacher there reported receiving threats after writing that the state did not do enough to protect another teacher, Samuel Paty. Paty was beheaded by a radical Islamist in 2020 in another Paris suburb after he showed his class caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
Shooting comes amid street violence and protests
The shooting came with France on edge following riots that erupted amid mass protests over the cost of living, which saw some of the worst street violence in recent years. Demonstrators, including students, labor union members and activists from France’s “Yellow Vest” movement, are expected to take to the streets again Saturday.
French police have promised a larger presence to maintain order after a week of overnight curfews across the country. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said authorities would deploy some 70,000 law enforcement officers and gendarmes. Elite police units will help secure public buildings, he said. Other resources, including helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons, will also be deployed.
Nuñez said at a news conference that officials will be “absolutely uncompromising” with those involved in violence, looting or vandalism. Police will have a “very firm approach to making arrests, and there will be legal consequences,” he said.
Major Paris museums, including the Louvre, will be closed. Art Basel Paris has canceled its weekend program due to safety concerns, the Associated Press reported.
