One Dead in Trappes Gunman's Rampage

Pengo Bassio Wangi died on Friday after a gunman opened fire across two suburbs north of Paris. Five others, including a 12-year-old girl, were injured in the roughly 15-minute attack that began at 10:30 a.m. local time.

The shooter, identified as 39-year-old Kevin T., drove through the working-class communities of Trappes and La Verrière. He fired an automatic weapon at a petrol station, a medical centre, and a children's playground. Police arrested him after the spree ended. Prosecutors have charged him with a terrorist crime and are investigating whether he conspired with a terrorist group. A family member was also taken into custody.

Investigators found a World War II-era semiautomatic weapon and tear gas grenades in the suspect's car. Local MP Laurent Mazaury reported that Kevin T. told officers he wanted to kill foreigners. Mazaury described the suspect as a racist person. French media noted that the deceased was young and Black, while the wounded included a woman and a girl both wearing headscarves. Prosecutors said three of the five injured are in critical condition.

The girl, who is of North African descent, was shot eight times and moved to a children's hospital for surgery. Her mother told broadcaster RTL that she was born in Trappes and has the right to build her life in France. The girl's mother asked, How could anyone do this to a child? Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh, who has Moroccan roots, said the gunman fired at random to cause a bloodbath. He called the attack objectively racist and probably Islamophobic.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez stated that the incident was clearly a terrorist crime. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu described the case as very serious and confirmed that all security and judicial resources were mobilized. President Emmanuel Macron labelled the event a racist terrorist attack and a turning point for the Republic.

Authorities plan to deploy 70,000 police officers on Saturday for expected demonstrations. The shooting occurred amid ongoing cost-of-living and student protests in France. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen condemned the shooting as barbaric, while Muslim groups criticized her campaign proposals. The French Muslim Council accused promoters of anti-Muslim hate speech of having blood on their hands.

Monitors report growing anti-Muslim hostility in Europe. The European Parliament passed a resolution last week against Islamist entryism. The EU's Fundamental Rights Agency states that one in two Muslims in Europe face racial discrimination.