OMM Newsroom
A man suspected of killing one person and injuring five in a shooting near Paris has left police custody and been placed under psychiatric observation, French anti-terrorism officials said, according to the BBC.
The attack took place on Friday. The gunman opened fire from a car, first in Trappes and then in nearby La Verrière, apparently targeting people of migrant origin.
The suspect, identified in French media as 39-year-old Kevin T, will be assessed to determine whether his “psychiatric health is compatible with pursuing his interrogation”, the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) said.
PNAT said the decision followed advice from a psychiatric expert. The assessment is expected to last 48 hours and will help determine whether the suspect should return to police custody. The office also said cannabis and cocaine were found in his bloodstream.
President Emmanuel Macron described the shooting as a “racist terrorist attack”, saying people had been targeted because of their skin colour or religion. He called it a “turning point in the life of our Republic and our nation”.
“Le Monde” and the AFP news agency reported, citing a source close to the investigation, that a Bible, a Quran and a copy of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” were found at the suspect’s home.
The person killed was Pengo Bossio Wangi, a 26-year-old French-Congolese martial artist, whose death was announced on Saturday. His lawyer told French media that placing the suspect under observation was “very rare” and alleged the move was being used to present him as criminally irresponsible rather than as someone who had acted deliberately.
The mixed martial arts club where Wangi trained paid tribute to him, saying: “On the mats as off them, he was one of those who lead by example: present, respectful, always ready to lift others up. His smile, his energy and his generosity will remain etched in our walls and in our hearts.”
Three of the injured people were taken to hospital in serious condition. A 12-year-old girl remained in critical condition. La Verrière Mayor Nicolas Dainville told the French radio network “France Info” on Sunday that he had spoken by phone with the girl’s mother, who said she was “doing better”.
Dainville said another injured resident was recovering, while a third remained in critical condition.
Local media reported that the suspect had been known to police before the shooting, but not to France’s intelligence services. PNAT had previously said he had four earlier convictions that had been “automatically expunged”.
He is believed to have used an old semi-automatic weapon, firing in bursts through his car window.
