The suspect in the shooting in Trappes, France earlier this week has had his police custody suspended “for psychiatric reasons,” France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) announced on Sunday morning.
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A 26-year-old was killed and five people were injured in the shooting on Friday – including a 12-year-old girl who is still in critical condition.
The suspected gunman has now been transferred to a psychiatric unit of the Paris police prefecture for “a period of observation” that could last for up to 48 hours.
The measure “is intended to assess whether his psychiatric condition is compatible with continuing his questioning,” the prosecutor’s office said.
PNAT also indicated that toxicology tests had revealed the presence of cannabis and cocaine in the suspect’s blood. Four people from his family and social circle are still being questioned by investigators.
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The background of the alleged gunman, Kevin T., 39, has raised concerns.
Police discovered a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf” at his home in the town of Plaisir, according to a source close to the investigation quoted by the AFP news agency. A Bible and a Quran were also discovered.
Investigators said the man had booby-trapped his home using three gas cylinders and electrical wires connected to a timer.
On Friday, at around 10:30 am, the suspect opened fire from a vehicle at passers-by in Trappes and La Verrière, some thirty kilometres south-west of Paris. He was arrested shortly afterwards. Police found a Second World War-era submachine gun and tear gas grenades in his car.
The man who was killed, identified as 26-year-old Pengo Bossio Wangi, has been described by several media outlets as a promising French MMA fighter.
On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered at the scene of the attack to pay tribute to the victim. They held placards reading “Trappes demands justice and truth” and “words kill,” before observing a minute’s silence in his memory.
“It could have been anyone. He shot at Black people, at Arabs,” a local shopkeeper of North African origin told AFP.
The victim’s family say the suspect was known to the authorities and are questioning whether authorities had kept a proper watch on him.
According to Le Monde, the suspect reportedly told police he wanted to target people from immigrant backgrounds to “avenge” shopkeepers whose premises had been looted on 17 October, when violent protests swept France.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Trappes on Friday, has described the shooting as a “racist terrorist attack.”
