Paris suburb shooting suspect targeted people of Muslim or African appearance, prosecutor says

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…