The man who opened fire from a car and killed a person in a Paris suburb is known to French authorities, though only for offenses under general criminal law. Four other people were seriously injured in the attack, including a 12-year-old girl.
The man was arrested shortly afterward.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The case was taken over by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, which opened an investigation into “murder in connection with a terrorist act, with the aggravating circumstance that the acts were committed on the basis of actual or presumed membership in a particular race, ethnicity, nation, or religion.”
The mayor of Trap, where the incident took place, also assessed that the attack was “racist, possibly Islamophobic in nature,” as one of the deceased and one of the injured were from North Africa.
Quatre victimes après qu’un homme a tiré avec une arme automatique sur des passants à Trappes et à La Verrière, dans les Yvelines : le tireur a été arrêté ! Ce pays est devenu impossible ! Il faut mettre de l’ordre dans les têtes, et vite et fort ! https://t.co/hbXkhBHBV7
— Gilbert Collard (@GilbertCollard) October 23, 2026
A Timeline of the Attack
The attack began around 10:30 a.m. (local time, 11:30 a.m. in Cyprus) and lasted about 15 minutes.
The 39-year-old perpetrator began firing bursts of gunfire from a gray Renault Clio around 10 a.m., specifically at the post office in Trapp, on Place Louis Pergot, as well as at a gas station along the highway, and then near a preschool and another daycare center. He also opened fire in the neighboring town of La Vérrière, near the train station and at a pharmacy.
According to witnesses, the perpetrator drove through several neighborhoods and opened fire from his car with the intention of causing “as many casualties as possible,” as the mayor of Trappes stated.
The victims of the attack include a 26-year-old man who succumbed to his injuries and a 20-year-old man wounded in Trappes, while in La Vérrière, three people were injured near a pharmacy: a 12-year-old girl who was struck by multiple bullets and two cleaning staff members, aged 29 and 47.
“He was shooting indiscriminately; he wanted to cause a massacre. I am very concerned,” was the first comment from the mayor of Trappes, Ali Rabah.
Yvelines: un homme a tiré en rafale sur la voie publique, au moins deux personnes gravement blessées, le suspect interpellé https://t.co/hhiauL523D
— BFM (@BFMTV) October 23, 2026
The gunman then headed toward the neighboring town of La Vérrière and was arrested in Cuinier in the parking lot of a store.
According to French media reports, his weapon was a STEN submachine gun dating back to World War II.
Tirs dans les Yvelines: "Le tireur a tiré au hasard et avait envie de faire un carnage", affirme Ali Rabeh, maire de Trappes https://t.co/nLYKu58TIX
— BFM (@BFMTV) October 23, 2026
The Suspect’s Profile
From the limited information that has been released, the perpetrator is named Kevin T. and is 39 years old. He was born and lives a short distance from the site of the attack.
He was known to law enforcement for common criminal offenses, but not to counterterrorism agencies.
His apartment was found rigged with gas canisters, BFMTV reported.
Source: Proto Thema
