Deadly shooting near Paris investigated as 'crime of terrorism', minister says
Interior Minister Nuñez says the Trappes shooting spree is being investigated as a terrorist crime; one person was killed, five wounded, and a suspect has been arrested.
France's interior minister has said the deadly shooting spree near Paris is being investigated as a terrorist crime, after a gunman killed one person and wounded five others in a series of drive-by attacks.
The attacks took place on Friday in Trappes, south-west of Paris. According to the BBC, the suspected gunman drove through several neighbourhoods in a grey Renault Clio, firing from the car window. People were targeted at a petrol station, a medical centre and a playground. Three of the five wounded are in a serious condition.
Interior Minister Nuñez told reporters in Trappes that it was "clearly a terrorist crime". France's National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's office has taken charge of the investigation, which includes charges of murder and possession of a Category A weapon. The motive remains unclear.
Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh said the shooter had opened fire on several people from his vehicle. The mayor also claimed the attack appeared to have a "racist, probably Islamophobic overtone", although the prosecutor's office urged caution about the identity of the victims.
A local police chief told BFMTV the suspect had used an older-style semi-automatic weapon. The 39-year-old suspect, described as known to police but not to the intelligence services, was detained in La Verrière on the N10 road out of Paris.
The shooting comes as France remains on heightened security alert ahead of a planned weekend of protests.
Source: BBC News — Top Stories — TrendWire reports stories in its own words; facts should be confirmed against the original source.