5 casualties in Paris suburb shooting as police probe terrorism
Shafaq News- Paris
A gunman opened fire from his car, killing one person and wounding four others in the Paris suburb of Trappes on Friday, French police said, adding that investigators were considering a possible terrorist motive.
The suspect was “firing at random, wanting to cause a bloodbath” as he drove through Trappes and neighboring La Verrière, Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh told broadcaster BFMTV.
A 12-year-old girl was “seriously wounded” after being shot eight times but remained in stable condition, La Verrière Mayor Nicolas Dainville told AFP.
France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the shooting as “clearly a terrorist crime.” The alleged gunman, a 39-year-old man, was arrested in the nearby town of Coignières.
Rabeh described the attack as “probably one of the first attempted mass killings motivated by Islamophobia and racism.”
President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with the victims, saying that “the nation is standing with” them through the “terrible ordeal.”
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu also described the case as “very serious,” adding that “all resources of the security forces and the judiciary are fully mobilized.”
Profonde émotion suite à l’attaque à l’arme à feu survenue à Trappes et La Verrière. Une personne est décédée. Plusieurs autres sont grièvement blessées. Nos pensées vont aux victimes, à leurs familles, ainsi qu’à tous les habitants des Yvelines. Dans cette terrible épreuve, la Nation se tient à leurs côtés. Reconnaissance à nos forces de l’ordre qui ont déjà procédé à l’interpellation de l’auteur. Le parquet national antiterroriste s’est saisi.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 23, 2026
The shooting comes as France faces heightened tensions following riots alongside mass protests over the cost of living, which saw some of the country's worst street violence in recent years. Further protests are expected this weekend, with police promising a larger presence after a week of overnight curfews imposed in cities across the country.
