French anti-terrorism prosecutors have confirmed that the 39-year-old suspect behind a deadly drive-by shooting in western Paris suburbs last week has confessed to deliberately targeting individuals who appear to be of Muslim, African or North African heritage. The violent rampage unfolded last Friday, when the assailant opened fire from a moving vehicle across two adjacent residential areas, Trappes and La Verrière, leaving 26-year-old French-Congolese martial artist Pengo Bossio Wangi dead and seven others wounded, including a young child. As of the latest update, three of the injured remain hospitalized, with one patient in life-threatening critical condition.
The suspect, identified in local media as Kevin T, was formally charged on Thursday with murder and attempted murder linked to a terrorist enterprise, according to a statement from France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT). During interrogation, the suspect claimed he selected Trappes and La Verrière for the attack because he falsely framed the neighborhoods as a “hotbed for Islamists”. Despite his explicit admission of targeting people based on their perceived racial and religious identities, Kevin T has denied any terrorist motive, characterized his violent actions as “legitimate”, and stated he feels no remorse for the harm he caused.
Law enforcement searches of the suspect’s residence uncovered a cache of weapons and weapon components, alongside a collection of reading materials including a Quran, a Bible, and Adolf Hitler’s white supremacist manifesto Mein Kampf. Investigators also found custom-printed stickers bearing slogans such as “long live France, RN, proud to be French” that the suspect told authorities he designed and had printed over a year prior, though he claimed he is not an official member or active supporter of the far-right National Rally (RN) party.
The attack has prompted widespread condemnation at the highest levels of the French government, with President Emmanuel Macron labeling the violence a “racist terrorist attack”. In the days following the shooting, hundreds of residents across France joined peaceful anti-racism demonstrations to mourn the victim, stand in solidarity with affected communities, and push back against rising racial bigotry. The incident has also inflamed already heated political tensions just six months ahead of France’s upcoming presidential election, where RN leader Marine Le Pen currently holds a lead in national opinion polls. On Wednesday, Macron publicly criticized far-right political movements including the RN for enabling a cultural climate where systemic racism has been allowed to take root. Senior RN lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy pushed back against the accusation, claiming it was Macron’s own administration that had allowed hateful ideologies to flourish across the country.