Suspect and four associates questioned after French shooting
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Seneweb
The suspect in the racist shooting in Trappes and La Verrière, Yvelines, France, has had his custody extended, while four people close to him were questioned. The attack left one person dead and five injured, including a seriously wounded 12-year-old girl, according to the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, cited by AFP.
The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat) extended the custody of Kévin T., 39, on Saturday morning. He is suspected of the shooting that left one person dead and five injured in Yvelines, France, on Friday. His state of health was deemed compatible with the measure after an initial interview, the Pnat said. Four members of his family and social circle are also in custody, according to the prosecutor’s office. A source close to the case told AFP that his parents are among them.
Investigators are seeking to establish the suspect’s profile. A blood test to check his level of intoxication was still under way on Saturday, while his criminal record showed four previous convictions, according to the Pnat. Arrested in Coignières at about 10.20am on Friday, Kévin T. had begun his deadly rampage in Trappes at about 10am before continuing in La Verrière. He fired from a car, killing Pengo Bossio Wangi, a 26-year-old French MMA fighter, and injuring five people, including a 12-year-old girl who was hit by eight bullets. The child was still in critical condition on Saturday at midday, the Pnat told AFP.
A search of the suspect’s home uncovered gas bottles and electrical wires connected to a timer, according to a police source. Investigators also found a Sten-type submachine gun and a tear-gas canister in his Renault Clio. Yassine Bouzrou, the lawyer for the victim’s family, said his clients were questioning whether the suspect had been monitored. He was already known to the police and justice system and had been described as possessing weapons of war. The family reserved the right to seek administrative liability.
This new development comes after three people close to the suspect were placed in custody, as reported on 24 October, and booby-trapped gas cylinders were found in his flat, also reported on 24 October. The shooting was first reported on 23 October, after Emmanuel Macron described it as a racist terrorist attack.
