Gunman ‘intent on causing as many casualties as possible’ shoots five people in France, killing one – with girl, 12, among wounded

A gunman has shot five people with a machine-gun, killing one and wounding a 12-year-old girl in a Paris suburb.  

A suspect was arrested near the town of Trappes, west of Paris. Police said the motive for the shooting, which happened at around 10.30am local time, remained unclear.

Le Parisien, a French newspaper, reported that the perpetrator fired a STEN-type sub-machine gun from the Second World War from a vehicle. 

According to Ali Rabeh, the mayor of Trappes, the gunman ‘wandered aimlessly’ through ‘several neighbourhoods’ in his town and neighbouring La Verriere. 

He fired ‘randomly’ at various locations, including including a playground and seemed intent on causing as many casualties as possible.’

Mr Rabeh added: ‘He wanted to cause carnage.’ 

The mayor said the person killed was of African origin, while one of those critically wounded was of North African origin.

Sebastien Lecornu, France’s prime minister, said that four people had been injured and one had been killed. 

He added following the incident: ‘All resources of the security forces and the judicial authority are fully mobilised. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office has announced that it is monitoring the situation.’ 

Local officials said, according to Le Monde, that emergency services are responding but that the situation is ‘not yet stable’. 

Nicolas Dainville, the mayor of La Verrière, said the 12-year-old girl’s condition is ‘stable’ and added that two men, aged 29 and 49, have been taken to two different hospitals. 

Mr Rabeh said this morning in a Facebook post: ‘I offer my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased, as well as my full support to the other victims.

‘I would like to commend the intervention of the law enforcement and emergency services. The city remains in close contact with the relevant authorities.

‘An investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances of these events and the motives of the shooter. The city will set up a psychological support unit within the next few hours.’ 

The shooting happened as France braces for another day of protests against the high cost of living on Saturday. 

Major museums are closing their doors and the government is deploying a significantly larger security presence to prevent a repeat of last week’s violent unrest which shocked the country. 

France had seen a spate of Islamist attacks, including the slaughter by jihadists in the heart of Paris in November 2015 that killed 130.

There have been fewer incidents in recent years but officials have warned that the risk remains and that attempted attacks are repeatedly thwarted by intelligence gathering.

Samuel Paty, a teacher in another Paris suburb, was beheaded by a radical Islamist in 2020 after he showed his class caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.

Trappes has seen its own share of tension, after a teacher there reported receiving threats after writing that the state did not do enough to protect Mr Paty.

More to follow.