Gunman kills one in suspected racist terrorist attack near Paris

On October 23, 2026, a 39-year-old gunman opened fire from a vehicle in Trappes and La Verriere near Paris, killing one person of African origin and wounding up to five others, including a 12-year-old girl. French President Emmanuel Macron branded the spree a racist terrorist attack targeting victims for their race or religion. French police arrested the suspect, who possessed a submachine gun and had booby-trapped his apartment with gas canisters.

Trappes shooting attack

• ▪On October 23, 2026, a gunman opened fire from a vehicle across multiple locations in Trappes and neighbouring La Verriere, France, killing one person and wounding up to five others
• ▪A police source stated that a gunman in Trappes fired bursts from a grey Renault Clio around 10:30 am on October 23, 2026, targeting locations including a playground, a petrol station, and a school

Racist terrorism investigation

• ▪French anti-terrorism prosecutors reported that the 39-year-old suspect arrested in Coignieres booby-trapped his apartment with three gas canisters and electric wires connected to a timer
• ▪France's national anti-terrorism prosecutor opened an investigation for murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise to determine if the October 23, 2026 Trappes shooting targeted the victims' actual or perceived race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion

Victim casualties

• ▪The wounded victims of the October 23, 2026 Trappes shooting included a 12-year-old girl shot eight times and two school cleaners of African origin in La Verriere
• ▪The individual killed in the October 23, 2026 shooting in Trappes was of African origin, and one critically wounded victim was of North African origin

Political condemnation

• ▪French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez and Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh stated that the October 23, 2026 shooting in Trappes was a terrorist crime with racist and Islamophobic motives
• ▪French President Emmanuel Macron described the October 23, 2026 shooting in Trappes as a racist terrorist attack aimed at killing citizens for their skin color or religion

Trappes demographic profile

• ▪Trappes attracted national attention between 2014 and 2016 when dozens of residents reportedly left the town to join jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq
• ▪Trappes, France is a working-class town of 35,000 residents located about 30 kilometers southwest of Paris, where approximately one-third of the population is foreign-born

Suspect arrest details

• ▪Police arrested a 39-year-old male suspect in Coignieres, France, finding him in possession of a submachine gun and tear-gas grenades following the October 23, 2026 shooting in Trappes
• ▪Investigators detained and questioned a 39-year-old suspect after armed police intercepted him in Coignieres to halt his shooting spree in Trappes