French President Emmanuel Macron has described a deadly shooting near Paris as the country’s first “racist terrorist attack,” appearing to overlook decades of Islamist terrorism, including the deliberate murders of Jewish civilians and children.
A gunman opened fire from a car in Trappes and neighboring La Verriere on Friday morning, killing 26-year-old aspiring MMA fighter Pengo Bossio Wangi and injuring five others, including a 12-year-old girl who was shot eight times. Other victims reportedly included a woman wearing a headscarf, a man of North African origin and two school cleaners of African origin.
The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Kevin T., was arrested after a shooting spree lasting approximately 15 minutes. Police recovered a submachine gun from his vehicle and discovered three gas cylinders wired to a timer in his apartment. He reportedly had 13 previous criminal-record entries but was not on a terrorism watchlist.
Visiting Trappes on Friday evening, Macron declared the shooting a historic “turning point” for France.
“This is the first time there has been a terrorist act aimed at killing our compatriots and our children for the colour of their skin or what their religion is thought to be,” he claimed. Macron also alleged that the suspect deliberately spared certain people because of their skin color, citing statements allegedly made after his arrest.
The French leader’s sweeping claim sparked criticism online, with commentators pointing to previous Islamist terrorist attacks that specifically targeted people because of their religion.
In March 2012, Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah murdered a rabbi and three Jewish children at a school in Toulouse, having previously killed three French soldiers.
In January 2015, ISIS-linked terrorist Amedy Coulibaly attacked the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Paris, deliberately targeting Jewish shoppers and killing four hostages. Later that year, ISIS terrorists massacred 130 people in coordinated attacks across Paris and Saint-Denis, including 90 concertgoers at the Bataclan music venue.
Following the backlash, the Elysee sought to clarify Macron’s remarks, telling TF1 that he had specifically meant the first racist terrorist attack motivated by skin color, despite his explicit reference to religion.
The shooting comes amid nationwide unrest that has fueled a bitter political dispute over immigration and security. US President Donald Trump has blamed uncontrolled immigration and radical groups for the violence, while Macron has accused the ultra-left of orchestrating riots and denounced anti-immigration rhetoric portraying France as overrun by Islamists.
The Trappes shooting has also intensified political tensions ahead of next year’s presidential election. Communist presidential candidate Fabien Roussel accused the far right of spreading “racist hatred,” while National Rally leader Marine Le Pen condemned the shooting and its “abject motive of racism.”
France’s anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened an investigation into suspected terrorist murder with a racist motive. The suspect’s precise ideological affiliations remain under investigation.
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