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French anti-terror prosecutors are investigating a shooting that killed one person and wounded four others in towns west of Paris on Friday as a suspected terrorist attack.
The gunman opened fire from a vehicle in Trappes and neighboring La Verriere before police arrested him in the nearby town of Coignieres, according to authorities. The shooting took place at around 10:30 a.m. local time (08:30 a.m. GMT).
The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into the incident as "murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise."
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed the casualties in a post on X, describing the incident as "very serious." He added that security forces and judicial authorities were fully mobilized.
The suspect allegedly used a potentially automatic or military-grade weapon, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh described the shooting as apparently random, saying the gunman targeted passersby, including near a playground.
Authorities are also examining whether the attack was racially motivated. The anti-terrorism investigation includes an aggravating circumstance related to the victim’s actual or perceived race, ethnicity, nationality or religion.
Local authorities warned that the death toll could change as emergency services continued working at the scene, about 20 kilometers (13 miles) west of the French capital.
The shooting comes as France prepares for further protests over the cost of living following riots and looting the previous weekend.
The government plans to deploy 70,000 police officers and gendarmes nationwide this weekend, with riot squads and elite security units reinforcing local forces.
More than 2,700 people have been arrested since the previous weekend's unrest, with over 200 jailed. Authorities have also introduced curfews and restrictions on demonstrations in some areas.
France has faced a series of terrorist attacks over the past decade, including the November 2015 attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.
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