A gunman killed one person and wounded five others, including a 12-year-old girl, in drive-by shootings across suburbs southwest of Paris on Friday. The attacker fired from a grey Renault Clio in Trappes and nearby La Verrière over roughly 15 minutes, targeting people at a petrol station, medical centre and playground, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.
The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) is investigating the incident as "murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise". The prosecutor's office listed aggravated charges related to acts committed because of "real or perceived membership of a particular race, ethnicity, nation or religion". Nuñez told reporters: "It's clearly a terrorist crime, that's what [the prosecutor] has said."
Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh said the suspect "fired randomly" with apparent intent to cause "as many casualties as possible". The victim who died was of African origin, and one critically wounded person is of North African descent, Rabeh said. He characterized the attack as having a "racist, probably Islamophobic overtone". The injured 12-year-old girl was wearing a headscarf, and her mother told French broadcaster RTL her daughter suffered eight gunshot wounds requiring surgery.
The suspected attacker, a 39-year-old man, was arrested near the town of Coignières. He was known to police but not to French intelligence services and was not on a list of individuals considered a serious security threat. Police reportedly recovered an older-style semi-automatic weapon dating to World War Two.
Interior Minister Nuñez said the motive remains unclear. The prosecutor's office is also investigating possession of a military-grade weapon and potential "conspiracy with a terrorist group for the purpose of preparing crimes against persons". The anti-terror prosecutor called for caution regarding victim identities while its investigation proceeds.