Attaque dans les Yvelines: le suspect et quatre de ses proches entendus par les enquêteurs, son profil en question
The man who killed one person and injured five others on Friday in Yvelines, in an attack described as "racist terrorism" by Emmanuel Macron, is being questioned by investigators, who are trying to understand his profile, while four of his relatives are also being interviewed.
The custody of the main suspect, Kévin T., aged 39, was extended on Saturday morning "after a first hearing", the national anti-terrorist prosecutor's office (Pnat) indicated, explaining that "his state of health was deemed compatible" with this measure.
According to the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (PNAT), four members of his family and friends have also been taken into custody. Among them are the shooter's mother and father, a source close to the investigation told AFP.
During his "deadly rampage" which began around 10:00 AM on Friday in Trappes and continued in the neighboring town of La Verrière, Kevin T. fired bursts of gunfire in the street from his car, killing one black person, a 26-year-old Frenchman of African origin, and wounding five others.
The mayor of La Verrière, Nicolas Dainville, confirmed that a 12-year-old girl was among the victims, seriously wounded by eight bullets. "She remains in critical condition," the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) told AFP on Saturday at midday.
Kevin T. was arrested in Coignières (Yvelines) around 10:20 a.m. on Friday and immediately taken into custody, a measure which can last 96 hours in terrorism cases.
"A blood test" intended to verify "his toxicological impregnation is still underway," the Pnat specified, explaining that Kevin T.'s criminal record mentions "four previous convictions."
The search revealed that he had rigged his apartment – located in Plaisir (Yvelines), according to a police source – with gas cylinders and electrical wires connected to a timer. A Sten-type submachine gun and a tear gas canister were also discovered in his vehicle, a Renault Clio, according to the same source.
The family of the man killed, Pengo Bossio Wangi, a 26-year-old French MMA hopeful, is wondering whether or not the authorities had put in place "a monitoring system" for the shooter, who was apparently "in possession of weapons of war" and "already known to the police and the justice system," said his lawyer Yassine Bouzrou.
The company "reserves the right to seek any administrative redress that may arise from a proven failure," it added in a statement sent to AFP. The shooting sent shockwaves through the country.
During a visit to Trappes, President Macron spoke on Friday evening of a "turning point", referring to "a terrorist act planned to kill our compatriots, our children, because of their skin color or the religion they are given".
The mayor of Trappes, Ali Rabeh, denounced an "attack with racist overtones, probably Islamophobic," specifying that "the deceased was of African origin" and that one of the injured was "of North African origin." The mayor of La Verrière reported that two cleaning men, "of African appearance," were injured.
The PNAT opened an investigation on Friday for "murder" and "attempted murders", "in connection with a terrorist enterprise, with the circumstance that the acts were committed because of real or supposed membership of an alleged race, ethnicity, nation or specific religion".
In Trappes and La Verrière, residents say they are shocked and frightened at the idea of being targeted in the future for their origin or skin color.
"It could have been anyone, he was shooting at the heads of Black people, Arabs, he knows that here in Trappes there is a majority of Muslims," a young shopkeeper of North African origin told AFP.
Six months before the presidential election, the mayor of Trappes stated that "our collective responsibility is de-escalation and republican harmony."
"Racism kills," denounced Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France insoumise, while Marine Le Pen, candidate of the National Rally (RN) for the presidential election, stated that "justice must be implacable," referring to "the abject motive of racism."
AFP
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Mais "ZEMMOUR" ,ça sonne pas Français,ce nom de famille.
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