'Racist Terrorist Attack': French President Speaks Out After Fatal Shooting Near Paris
Trappes, France: A gunman firing from a car killed one person and wounded five others-including a 12-year-old girl who was shot eight times-in the Paris suburb of Trappes on Friday, in an assault the French presidency condemned as a "racist terrorist attack."
French President Emmanuel Macron visited the working-class town of Trappes southwest of Paris, where a gunman opened fire earlier in the day in an attack suspected of having targeted people of foreign origin.
This was a "racist, terrorist attack", said the Elysee presidential palace.
Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh said the man was "firing at random, wanting to cause a bloodbath" as he drove through Trappes and neighbouring La Verriere.
Most of the victims were from foreign backgrounds and prosecutors are investigating whether the acts targeted the "real or supposed race, ethnicity, nationality or religion" of the victims.
The 12-year-old girl shot eight times was "seriously wounded" but in a stable condition, the mayor of La Verriere, Nicolas Dainville, told AFP.
Police arrested the alleged shooter -- a 39-year-old man, according to a source familiar with the case -- in nearby Coignieres.
Officers found him in possession of a submachine gun and tear-gas grenades, according to a police source.
He had also booby-trapped his flat with three gas canisters and electric wires "connected to a timer", according to anti-terrorism prosecutors.
Prosecutors said they had opened an investigation for "murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise".
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