Europeupdated 2h ago3 min read
Archive photo · 5 December 2023Paris Suburbs Shooting Suspect Kevin T. Admits Targeting Muslims and Africans
4 Western Mainstream2 Local Western2 Other2 West AsianPhoto: Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Suspect Kevin T. admitted targeting Muslims and Africans during the Paris suburbs shooting. The attack left one dead and seven wounded, including a child.
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Paris suburbs shooting
Olivier Christen said the suspect, identified as Kevin T., admitted to targeting people “of a Muslim, African or North African type” in the Paris suburbs of Trappes and La Verrière, where one person was killed and seven wounded. Kevin T. “admits that he selected his victims by their skin color and religion,” and it described him as having fired “128 times” from inside his vehicle. France 24 said the 39-year-old was set to be held in pre-trial detention and would appear before judges on Thursday, after Christen told a news conference that Kevin T. chose the location because it was “a hotbed for Islamists.”
El País said police found weapons and emblems of Marine Le Pen's party at Kevin T.’s home, and it reported that the prosecutor’s office opened a judicial investigation for murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist organization and with the aggravating factor of racism. France 24 said Christen described the attack as involving a “very high level of preparation,” and it said the suspect was detained later Friday with a machine gun and tear-gas grenades in his car.
Prosecutor and political fallout
Olivier Christen told a news conference that Kevin T. now claims he chose the location for his actions because it was “a hotbed for Islamists,” and France 24 said Christen also described the “very high level of preparation” behind the attack. Olivier Christen explained that Kevin T.’s statements “are framed in a very deep xenophobia and in an open stance of reivindication, with no remorse,” and it quoted the prosecutor saying the “entire homicidal path brings him satisfaction.” El País said the political class, including the Marine Le Pen party, condemned the attack as soon as it occurred, but it reported that later, when the racist character became known, many parties accused RN of creating a breeding ground for such acts of hatred.
El País said the Reagrupment National congress was held in Orleans over the weekend, and it reported that Jordan Bardella made a brief reference to the terrorist attack in his speech. El País said Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu asked the Assembly for parties to be responsible and condemned speeches that “end up arming others, who in turn take action.”
Charges, evidence, and next steps
France 24 said the opening of a judicial investigation by the office of the national anti-terrorism prosecutor (PNAT) allows a judge to take charge of the case, specifically regarding charges of "murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise". An anti-terrorist investigating judge will decide on a possible indictment after Kévin T. was transferred from Wednesday night to Thursday, October 29, to the Paris judicial court. Newsday said prosecutors asked for the man to be held in pretrial detention, and it described preliminary charges of murder and attempted murder aggravated by racist motives after the shooting that killed one person and wounded seven others.
France 24 said a search of the suspect's home uncovered “weapons or weapon components – specifically a magazine, two pairs of brass knuckles, a steel bayonet, and a silencer,” and it said investigators also found books including a Quran, a Bible, and Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. lanouvellerepublique.fr said analyses revealed “the presence of cannabis and cocaine in his blood,” and it reported that the PNAT said his apartment in Plaisir (Yvelines) had been booby-trapped with gas cylinders and electrical wires connected to a timer.