What happened
According to the BBC, a series of drive-by shootings took place on Friday, first in Trappes, southwest of Paris, and then in nearby La Verrière. One person was killed and five others were injured, officials said, though other outlets cited in the source material give a slightly lower injury count. Three of the injured are in serious condition, and a 12-year-old girl was among them.
Officials said the attack lasted almost 15 minutes. Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh said an individual "fired shots from his vehicle at several people he encountered" that morning. Witnesses said the gunman drove through several neighbourhoods in a grey Renault Clio. The mayor said people were targeted at a petrol station, a medical centre and a playground in Trappes before the attacker drove on to La Verrière.
Rabeh said the suspect "fired randomly", apparently intending to cause "as many casualties as possible". He added that the gunman "wanted to cause carnage".
The suspect and the weapon
The anti-terrorist prosecutor's office, known as PNAT, named the suspect as Kevin T and said his criminal record showed four previous convictions. Local media reported he is 39 and was known to police but not to France's intelligence services. PNAT told BFMTV he was not on a list of people considered a serious threat to French security.
Reports differ on where he was caught. A police union official said he was detained on the N10 road through La Verrière. Local media reported the arrest took place in the nearby town of Coignières. PNAT said a member of the suspect's "immediate family circle" was also taken into custody on Friday.
A local police chief told BFMTV the suspect used "an older-style semi-automatic weapon" and fired in bursts. Le Parisien reported the gun dated to World War Two. PNAT said its investigation includes possession of a Category A weapon, a classification that covers military-grade weapons and those capable of firing in bursts.
Terrorism investigation and the question of motive
PNAT said the incident appeared to be "murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise". It listed an aggravating circumstance: acts committed because of "real or perceived membership of a particular race, ethnicity, nation or religion". It also said it was examining "conspiracy with a terrorist group for the purpose of preparing crimes against persons".
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told reporters in Trappes: "It's clearly a terrorist crime, that's what [the prosecutor] has said." He also said the attacker's motive remained unclear.
Rabeh said the person who died was of African origin and one of those in critical condition was of North African descent. He said the attack had a "racist, probably Islamophobic overtone". PNAT's statement called for caution about the victims' identities.
Reaction
President Emmanuel Macron called the shooting "a racist terrorist attack" and "a turning point in the life of our Republic and our nation". He said, "this has no place in France".
The mother of the injured 12-year-old told broadcaster RTL that her daughter suffered eight gunshot wounds and needed surgery. She said her daughter had been wearing a headscarf and wondered whether that was why she was attacked. "How could anyone do this to a child?" she asked. She added that her daughter was "born in France, in Trappes" and has "the right to live in France".
