15 Minutes: One Dead and Five Wounded in Paris Suburb Shooting
French authorities have classified the racially motivated attack in Trappes as a terrorist crime following the arrest of a 39-year-old suspect.
By Marco Kapoor ·
One person died and five others were injured during a 15-minute shooting spree in Trappes, a working-class suburb north of Paris, on Friday. Among the casualties was a 12-year-old girl who sustained eight gunshot wounds and required surgery. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez stated that the incident is clearly a terrorist crime.
The attack began at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time. The gunman drove through the communities of Trappes and La Verriere, targeting a petrol station, a medical centre, and a children's playground. Police stopped the rampage after roughly 15 minutes and arrested the suspect, a 39-year-old man identified as Kevin T. Investigators recovered a semiautomatic weapon from the World War II era and tear gas grenades from his vehicle.
Local MP Laurent Mazaury reported that the suspect told officers he intended to kill foreigners. Mazaury described the attacker as a racist person. French media reported that the deceased victim, Pengo Bassio Wangi, was a young Black man. The injured parties included a woman wearing a headscarf and the 12-year-old girl, who is of North African descent and was also wearing a headscarf. Prosecutors confirmed that three of the five wounded are in critical condition.
Prosecutors are investigating whether the suspect conspired with a terrorist group. A member of his immediate family circle has also been taken into custody. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu described the case as very serious and confirmed that all security and judicial resources are mobilized. President Emmanuel Macron labeled the event a racist terrorist attack and a turning point for the Republic.
Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh said the gunman fired at random with the goal of causing a bloodbath. He characterized the attack as objectively racist and probably Islamophobic. The girl's mother told broadcaster RTL that her daughter was born in Trappes and has the right to build her life in France. She asked whether her daughter was targeted specifically because of her headscarf.
The attack occurred while cost-of-living and student protests continue to grip the country. Authorities plan to deploy 70,000 police officers on Saturday to manage expected demonstrations. National Rally leader Marine Le Pen condemned the shooting as barbaric. Muslim groups criticized the populist right for fostering hatred, citing Le Pen's campaign proposal to fine women who wear headscarves in public.
The incident follows a wider rise in anti-Muslim hostility. The European Parliament passed a resolution last week calling for an EU strategy against Islamist entryism. The EU's Fundamental Rights Agency reports that one in two Muslims in Europe face racial discrimination. In the United States, California's attorney general reported a 54 percent rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2025.
