The suspect acted out of racial hatred as French authorities investigate possible warning signs.
On Monday, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that the psychiatric evaluation of the suspect in Friday’s shooting, which left one person dead and five injured in Trappes, on the outskirts of Paris, does not change its classification as a “racist terrorist attack.”
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Nuñez stressed that the 39-year-old man “acted to kill people who, in his eyes, should not integrate into French society because they were simply of foreign origin.”
The suspect’s police custody was temporarily suspended over the weekend so he could undergo a psychiatric evaluation. The decision raised questions from Yassine Bouzrou, the lawyer representing the family of the person killed, about the judicial handling of cases involving far-right terrorist violence.
“The seriousness of the act, the fact that it is a racist terrorist attack, does not change. There is no attempt to downplay it” because the alleged perpetrator of the shooting is undergoing psychiatric observation, Nuñez said.
The Interior Minister insisted that “he is an individual driven by hatred and racism, and that is why he killed.” Nuñez said he understood the family’s questions about a possible failure to prevent the attack and monitor the suspect, but noted that the man was not known to intelligence services.
#France 🇫🇷: A gunman carried out a racially motivated shooting attack in Trappes, Yvelines on October 23. As a result 1 person killed and 5 injured.
The perpetrator seemingly used a customized British 9x19mm “STEN” Mk II submachine gun fitted with a grip and foregrip. pic.twitter.com/M1DYz0N9uY
— War Noir (@war_noir) October 26, 2026
In this regard, Nuñez explained that some perpetrators carry out attacks suddenly, without authorities having detected any prior warning signs.
“They are somewhat isolated individuals, steeped in racist ideology, who feed on the prevailing discourse and suddenly take action,” Nuñez said, stressing that such cases are particularly difficult to detect in advance.
In any case, he promised that “everything will be brought to light in this matter to determine whether there were warning signs or not,” adding that the judicial authorities would have to answer the questions raised by the family.
Nuñez emphasized that part of the radicalization process can take place through social media and that platforms have an obligation to report content when they detect illegal material, particularly content related to terrorism.
Meanwhile, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office reported that several members of the shooter’s family and circle of friends, who had been arrested as part of the investigation, were released on Sunday.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
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