Macron Calls Trappes Shooting a Racist Terrorist Attack

An armed suspect opened fire from a moving vehicle across Trappes and La Verrière, killing one person and injuring five others before police intercepted him in Coignières. French prosecutors have classified the incident as a racist terrorist attack, prompting an emergency visit to the scene by Emmanuel Macron and Sébastien Lecornu.

Shooting Spree Across Yvelines

The violence began at approximately 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, when the gunman fired shots from a vehicle toward a parked car carrying a mother and her daughter in Trappes, according to the Parquet national antiterroriste (Pnat). The attacker then targeted a local medical center before shooting a man dead near Square Louis-Pergaud. Two additional people were wounded at an Esso service station along Rue Martin Luther King.

The suspect continued driving toward La Verrière, where he shot and injured two individuals near the Bois-de-l’Etang pharmacy and a final victim on Rue Marcel Rivière. Law enforcement officers arrested the driver in neighboring Coignières, bringing an end to the assault. Laurent Nuñez confirmed that three of the five injured victims remain in life-threatening condition.

Prosecutors Charge Kevin T. with Terrorist Murder

French counterterrorism prosecutors have opened a flagrante delicto investigation into the shooting, naming preliminary charges of murder and attempted murder linked to a terrorist enterprise, possession of a Category A weapon, and terrorist association aimed at planning crimes against individuals. The charges specify that the acts were committed based on the victims’ actual or perceived race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.

Authorities identified the suspect as 39-year-old Kevin T., who has a criminal record containing four fully rehabilitated convictions. Following his arrest, bomb disposal specialists from the Raid intervention unit searched his residence in Plaisir. According to an investigation source cited by Libération, the apartment was rigged with gas canisters, indicating potential premeditation.

President Macron Calls Assault a Racist Terrorist Attack

President Macron traveled to Trappes later on Friday alongside Prime Minister Lecornu, describing the assault as a racist terrorist attack and calling it a turning point for the nation. “This has no place in France,” Macron said, adding that authorities will not yield to ideologies that justify such behavior. Minister Nuñez praised police officers for stopping the gunman and noted that the exact motivations behind the attack remain under formal investigation.

Trappes Ali Rabeh told BFMTV that the neighborhood experienced heavy gunfire and characterized the assault as a racially motivated attack. The mayor stated that the gunman appeared to shoot at random with the intent to cause massive casualties, adding that it was a miracle the death toll was not higher. Investigations are currently led by the Sub-Directorate for Anti-Terrorism (SDAT), national police directorates, and the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI).