Man targeted Muslims, Africans and North Africans, French prosecutors say

What the report says

French prosecutors say a 39-year-old man, identified as Kevin T, has been formally charged in connection with a shooting that killed one person and injured seven others in the towns of Trappes and La Verriere, west of Paris. The case was reported by Al Jazeera on Thursday, following the attack last Friday, when the suspect allegedly fired from his car while driving through the area. Prosecutors said he admitted selecting the location because he considered it a place where Islamists were active.

According to the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, Kevin T told investigators that he targeted people who appeared to be Muslim, African or North African. He had previously disputed that the attack was racially motivated, but later changed his account, prosecutors said. Authorities also said a child was among the injured, and that most of the victims had foreign heritage.

The victim who died was identified as Pengo Bossio Wangi, a 26-year-old French citizen with Congolese heritage. Prosecutors said the suspect expressed no remorse, though he said he did not intend to kill children and may have misjudged their age.

Police said a search of his home turned up weapons or weapon parts, including a magazine, brass knuckles, a bayonet and a silencer, along with extremist and political material. The case is being treated as a terrorist matter, underscoring French concerns about racially or ideologically motivated violence and the targeting of minority communities.