French anti-terror prosecutors said the suspect in the Trappes drive-by shooting had booby-trapped his home with gas canisters and electric wires connected to a timer, and that a member of his immediate family has been arrested. The Trappes suspect update deepened the investigation into Friday’s attack that killed one person and wounded five.
The 39-year-old suspect, named as Kevin T., was found with a Sten gun, a British submachine gun from the Second World War, when police stopped his car after the attack, prosecutors said. President Emmanuel Macron called the shooting a racist terrorist attack, according to the BBC.
Family member taken into custody
A member of the suspect’s immediate family circle was taken into custody on Friday, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office said. Prosecutors said the suspect had four previous convictions that were automatically expunged.
He was known to police but not to French intelligence services, and was not on a list of individuals considered a serious threat to French security, the prosecutor’s office told BFMTV. Investigators are examining his background, contacts and any online activity.
The mother of the 12-year-old girl who was shot told broadcaster RTL that her daughter had been wearing a headscarf and questioned whether that was why she was attacked. She said her daughter was born in France, in Trappes, and had the right to live there.
Charges and next steps
Prosecutors opened a formal investigation into murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, as well as attempted murder, possession of a category-A weapon, and criminal association with a terrorist enterprise, officials said.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez travelled to Trappes on Friday and told reporters the shootings were an extremely grave act, according to reports. The investigation will focus on forensic evidence, the suspect’s links and formal charging decisions.
Officials said the exact motive has not yet been formally established, even as the president and prosecutors used the language of racist terrorism. Community leaders urged calm while the judicial process continues.
Investigators said bomb disposal experts would continue to make the suspect’s home safe before a full forensic search, and they urged residents near the property to follow police instructions, while prosecutors stressed that no further suspects had been formally charged in connection with the booby-trapping at this stage.
