Suspect drives 12-km shooting spree in Trappes, leaving one dead and five injured
A 39-year-old man armed with a submachine gun carried out a 12-kilometre shooting rampage through Trappes, killing one person and wounding five others.
During a press briefing, national antiterrorism prosecutor Olivier Christen outlined a meticulously planned 12-kilometre shooting route carried out by 39-year-old Kévin T. The assailant used a Sten-type submachine gun and fired at least 128 rounds across eight sites, starting on an avenue in Trappes and ending after his capture in Coignières. He killed Pengo Bossio Wangi, a 26-year-old Frenchman of Congolese origin, and injured five others, including a severely wounded 11-year-old girl; three victims remain hospitalized.
The suspect had prepared his apartment with gas bottles and timers, and his car contained a submachine gun, a tear-gas canister, and copies of extremist literature. After a brief detention, his questioning was paused for psychiatric reasons and resumed later. Authorities are investigating the case as a terrorist act motivated by alleged racial hatred.
Why it matters
The attack highlights rising extremist violence and challenges for French security services.
How this story developed
- Oct 25 Suspect in Trappes racist shooting moved to psychiatric observation after drug test
- Oct 26 Authorities ended the suspect’s police custody and placed him under psychiatric observation.
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