A gunman killed one person and wounded five others, including a 12-year-old girl, in a shooting in a Paris suburb that French President Emmanuel Macron described as a “terrorist and racist” attack.
“What happened today is, I am telling you, a turning point, because it is the first time we have had a terrorist act that was planned to kill our compatriots, our children, based on the colour of their skin or their religion,” Macron told reporters.
The shooting happened earlier on Friday when the gunman fired an automatic weapon at a petrol station, a medical centre and a children’s playground in Trappes, on the Paris outskirts.
Officials said a 39-year-old suspect, whom they named as Kevin T, had been arrested. His family surname was not given, as is common practice in such criminal inquiries in France.
The shooting comes at a moment of particular tension in France, after nationwide protests turned violent last Saturday and before further demonstrations this coming weekend.
Some far-right politicians have blamed immigration for looting and vandalism in a number of French cities on October 17.
Macron said the gunman had deliberately chosen not to fire upon some people due to their skin colour and appearance.
