PARIS (The Thursday Times) — A gunman who killed one person and wounded seven others in a drive-by shooting near Paris has admitted deliberately targeting people “who appeared to be Muslim, African, or North African”, France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor said on Thursday, as he was charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise.
The 39-year-old, identified only as Kevin T, fired from his car as he drove through the towns of Trappes and La Verrière, west of Paris, on Friday, October 23. A child was among the wounded, most of whom had foreign heritage. Pengo Bossio Wangi, a 26-year-old French citizen of Congolese heritage, was killed. President Emmanuel Macron has called it a “racist terrorist attack”.
Prosecutor Olivier Christen said the suspect, who had earlier disputed the racist nature of the attack, admitted he chose the area because it was “a hotbed for Islamists”. He said he felt “no regret” but did not intend to “kill children”, adding that he “might have been mistaken due to their size”.
‘A very high level of preparation’
Investigators who searched his home found weapon components including a magazine and a silencer, two pairs of brass knuckles, a steel bayonet, and a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, along with stickers celebrating Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party, Christen said. In September, the suspect bought parts designed to make a Sten submachine gun more effective, as well as a police armband and handcuffs.
Christen said the suspect had shown “a very high level of preparation”. He told investigators he was not a member or supporter of any political party. French media have reported that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and that cannabis and cocaine were found in his blood, but a psychiatric examination found no signs of acute decompensation, France 24 reported.
