GUNMAN KILLS ONE IN SHOOTINGS NEAR PARIS

French authorities say a gunman fired from a vehicle in Trappes and La Verrière, near Paris, killing one person. Reported figures put the number wounded at four or five. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said three of the wounded had life-threatening injuries. Police said officers arrested a suspect and took him into custody. Nuñez said the shootings took place at three locations in less than 15 minutes.

Nuñez said the suspect appeared to have used a military-grade or automatic weapon. He said five anti-crime brigade officers stopped the suspect and told reporters: “I commend them for their swift response.” Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh said the gunman appeared to fire relatively randomly at passers-by at several locations, including a playground. Aurore Bergé, the minister for gender equality and the fight against discrimination, said a girl was very seriously injured. Asked about claims that the suspect had booby-trapped his home with gas cylinders, Nuñez said the investigation would establish the facts.

France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s office took charge of the case. Nuñez described the shootings as a “terrorist crime” and said prosecutors were examining a possible racist motive. Rabeh said the attack appeared to be an attempted mass killing motivated by Islamophobia and racism. The French Council of Muslims blamed what it called the “consequences of hate speech and stigmatisation”, saying such discourse could push people to act. Bergé said the nation should stand with the victims and residents of Trappes and La Verrière if investigators establish a racist motive.