A man suspected of a deadly shooting near Paris last week has admitted targeting people of “Muslim, African or North African” appearance, prosecutors say.
A man was killed and seven people including a child were injured last Friday when an attacker opened fire as he drove through two western suburbs.
On Thursday the suspect was charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT) said.
President Emmanuel Macron called it a “racist terrorist attack” and anti-racism demonstrations have been held around France.
Pengo Bossio Wangi, a 26-year-old French-Congolese martial artist, was killed in the shooting.
Three of those wounded were still in hospital with one in critical condition, terrorism prosecutor Olivier Christen told reporters.
The suspect, named in French media as 39-year-old Kevin T, chose Trappes and nearby La Verrière because he saw them as a “hotbed for Islamists”, he said.
Kevin T had denied any “terrorist intent”, insisted his actions were “legitimate” and said he “feels no regret”, Christen said.
Police found “weapons or weapon components” in the suspect’s home as well as books including a Quran, a Bible and Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and stickers celebrating the hard-right National Rally (RN) party, Christen said.
Kevin T told investigators that he had designed the stickers with slogans such as “long live France, RN, proud to be French” himself and had them printed more than a year ago, Christen said.
But the suspect also told investigators he was not a member or supporter of any political party.
On Wednesday Macron said that “certain political movements on the far right” including the RN and “those close to them” had allowed a climate of racism “to take root”.
Jean-Philippe Tanguy, a prominent RN lawmaker, retorted that it was the president himself who had allowed “hateful ideologies” to flourish.
France’s presidential elections is six months away and RN leader Marine Le Pen is currently leading opinion polls.
