Shots from a car in France: one dead, four injured

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

After the shooting incident on the street, the French anti-terror prosecutor's office took over the investigation. The anti-terror public prosecutor's office announced on Friday that it had initiated an investigation into "murder in connection with a terrorist organization". The public prosecutor's office also said the crime was "committed due to actual or alleged affiliation with an alleged race, ethnic group, nation or specific religion."

The investigation also concerns the offense of “possession of a category A weapon”, which includes in particular automatic weapons that fire volleys, and “participation in a terrorist criminal organization with the aim of preparing crimes against people”. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez also stated that the suspect fired with an automatic weapon.

According to the information, the man opened fire in the morning in Trappes, west of Paris, and in nearby La Verrière. Four people were injured in the incident, police sources said. Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh said a 12-year-old child was “seriously injured” in La Verrière. According to police sources, the shooter was arrested shortly afterwards in nearby Coignières. According to local authorities, the number of victims may still change.

According to Nuñez, the suspect fired shots from the car in three different locations. Mayor Rabeh told broadcaster BFMTV that the man had apparently fired indiscriminately and 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 wanted to set up a psychological support center.

President Emmanuel Macron expressed his deep shock at the attack on Platform X and expressed his appreciation to the security forces. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the case as very serious. All resources of the security forces and the judiciary have been fully mobilized, he explained in the online service X.

The mood in France is currently tense. At the weekend there were massive riots on the sidelines of demonstrations against high costs of living and grievances in the education system. Thousands of shops were looted, town halls and police stations were attacked and buildings were set on fire. In response, nighttime curfews were imposed in several major cities.