One dead in shooting near Paris – anti-terror public prosecutor's office takes over investigation

A man in a car fired several shots in two communities near Paris. There was at least one dead and four injured, the French national police said. The man was arrested.

The anti-terrorism prosecutor's office in Paris took over the case. The prosecutor said the crime was “committed due to actual or perceived membership of an alleged race, ethnic group, nation or particular religion.”

The man opened fire from a car on Friday morning around 10:30 a.m. in Trappes and the neighboring municipality of La Verrière in the Yvelines department, the police said. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that the suspect fired with an automatic weapon. The perpetrator was then arrested in nearby Coignières. Local authorities did not rule out the possibility that the number of victims could change.

According to the mayor of Trappes, Ali Rabeh, the perpetrator apparently fired randomly from his vehicle. Rabeh told broadcaster BFMTV that the man obviously wanted to cause a “bloodbath”. The fatality is of “African origin”, while an injured person whose life is in danger is also of “Maghreb origin”.

The city announced that it would set up a position for psychological support. A twelve-year-old girl is among the injured.

President Emmanuel Macron appeared deeply shocked by the attack on Platform X. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the incidents on the online service X as “very serious”. The security and judicial authorities are using all available means. The anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has announced that it will monitor the situation, wrote Lecornu.

The crime took place in a tense situation in France. The weekend before, there were serious riots during demonstrations against high living costs and abuses in the education system. Shops were looted, town halls and police stations were attacked and buildings were set on fire. The authorities then imposed night-time curfews in several large cities.