Kevin T., the suspect in Friday’s shooting in Trappes and La Verrière near Paris, admitted that he targeted people he considered Muslim, as well as people of African and North African origin. National anti-terrorism prosecutor Olivier Christen announced this on Thursday, October 29.
According to French media reporting on Thursday’s press conference in Paris, the 39-year-old allegedly told police during custody that he deliberately chose his victims based on their presumed origin or religion. He described the location of the attack, saying that Trappes was, in his view, a „repaire d’islamistes”, meaning a den of Islamists. The prosecutor also reported that the suspect showed no remorse.
Charges and casualties
As reported by the portal Entrevue, citing investigators’ findings, Kevin T. was formally placed under investigation on Thursday by an anti-terrorism investigating judge. He faces charges of premeditated murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist undertaking, with the aggravating circumstance that the victims were actually or allegedly of a particular race, nation or religion. The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) requested pretrial detention. As of publication, we do not know the court’s decision in this case.
The attack took place on Friday, October 23, in the Yvelines department, about 27 km west of central Paris. Initial reports spoke of one fatality and four injured, as we wrote in our article about the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office taking over the case. The current toll is one person killed and seven injured; according to rp.pl, the fatal victim is a 26-year-old man.
What was found and what the suspect says
According to the press conference, a weapon and several books were found in the suspect’s home, including the Quran, the Bible and Adolf Hitler’s „Mein Kampf”. French media also report that stickers bearing the slogan „Vive la France, RN, fiers d’être français” were in the apartment; Kevin T. reportedly designed them himself and then ordered their printing. Investigators are not linking these items to any organisation at this stage.
Earlier, after his questioning on Monday, local media reported that the man admitted firing the shots but denied a racist motive. The prosecutor’s office then confirmed the presence of cocaine and cannabis in his test results, and four relatives detained at the start of the investigation were released on Sunday, October 25. The prosecutor also denied reports of political leaflets in the suspect’s car. Thursday’s statements by the prosecutor mean that the claim that there was no racist motive did not hold up in his later testimony.
To recap, Kevin T. remains a suspect, and the court will decide on his guilt.
What this means
For readers in Poland, the case is mainly of informational interest: it is being treated as a terrorist act with racial and religious motives, rather than as a weapons incident with an unclear motive. As of publication, no Polish citizens have been reported among the victims. Those travelling to the Paris region can check updates from the Yvelines prefecture and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MSZ).
