Macron calls Paris suburb shooting that killed one a ‘racist terrorist attack’

Trappes, France, October 24, 2026 — French President Emmanuel Macron has described a shooting in the Paris suburbs that left one person dead and five others injured as a “racist terrorist attack,” saying the incident marked a turning point for the country.

The shooting unfolded over approximately 15 minutes on Friday, with the suspect allegedly firing from a car in Trappes, southwest of Paris, before continuing to nearby La Verrière. The attacker appeared to target people of migrant origin, and police subsequently arrested him.

Three of the five injured people, including a 12-year-old girl, remain in serious condition.

During a visit to the scene in Trappes, Macron said the victims had been targeted because of their skin colour or religion. He urged the public to stand firm against what he described as “ideologies taking root.”

Macron called the incident “a turning point in the life of our Republic and our nation,” describing it as the first random racial killing of its kind in France.

The exact motive remains unclear. However, the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) said the incident appeared to constitute “murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise.”

French media have identified the suspect as Kevin T. According to PNAT, he had four previous convictions that had been “automatically expunged.” The 39-year-old was known to police but not to France’s intelligence services, according to local media.

PNAT told BFMTV that the suspect was not on a list of individuals considered to pose a serious threat to French national security. The prosecutor’s office also said a member of his immediate family was taken into custody on Friday.

Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh said an individual had fired shots from a vehicle at several people encountered on Friday morning. Witnesses said the gunman drove through several neighbourhoods in a grey Renault Clio.

Rabeh said the suspect appeared to have fired randomly in an effort to cause as many casualties as possible. He said the attacker had targeted people at a petrol station, a medical centre and a playground in Trappes before driving to La Verrière.