The French leader claimed no previous terrorist attack had targeted people because of their skin color or religion, overlooking Islamist attacks on Jews<\/p>\n
French President Emmanuel Macron has described a deadly shooting near Paris as the country\u2019s first \u201cracist terrorist attack,\u201d appearing to overlook decades of Islamist terrorism, including the deliberate murders of Jewish civilians and children.
\nA gunman opened fire from a car in Trappes and neighboring La Verriere on Friday morning, killing 26-year-old aspiring MMA fighter Pengo Bossio Wangi and injuring five others, including a 12-year-old girl who was shot eight times. Other victims reportedly included a woman wearing a headscarf, a man of North African origin and two school cleaners of African origin.
\nThe suspect, identified as 39-year-old Kevin T., was arrested after a shooting spree lasting approximately 15 minutes. Police recovered a submachine gun from his vehicle and discovered three gas cylinders wired to a timer in his apartment. He reportedly had 13 previous criminal-record entries but was not on a terrorism watchlist.
\nVisiting Trappes on Friday evening, Macron declared the shooting a historic \u201cturning point\u201d for France.
\n\u201cThis is the first time there has been a terrorist act aimed at killing our compatriots and our children for the colour of their skin or what their religion is thought to be,\u201d he claimed. Macron also alleged that the suspect deliberately spared certain people because of their skin color, citing statements allegedly made after his arrest.<\/p>\n
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Macron targets Trump over French riots<\/p>\n
The French leader\u2019s sweeping claim sparked criticism online, with commentators pointing to previous Islamist terrorist attacks that specifically targeted people because of their religion.
\nIn March 2012, Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah murdered a rabbi and three Jewish children at a school in Toulouse, having previously killed three French soldiers.
\nIn January 2015, ISIS-linked terrorist Amedy Coulibaly attacked the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Paris, deliberately targeting Jewish shoppers and killing four hostages. Later that year, ISIS terrorists massacred 130 people in coordinated attacks across Paris and Saint-Denis, including 90 concertgoers at the Bataclan music venue.
\nFollowing the backlash, the Elysee sought to clarify Macron\u2019s remarks, telling TF1 that he had specifically meant the first racist terrorist attack motivated by skin color, despite his explicit reference to religion.<\/p>\n
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Macron\u2019s \u2018incompetence\u2019 fueled France riots \u2013 opposition leaders<\/p>\n
The shooting comes amid nationwide unrest that has fueled a bitter political dispute over immigration and security. US President Donald Trump has blamed uncontrolled immigration and radical groups for the violence, while Macron has accused the ultra-left of orchestrating riots and denounced anti-immigration rhetoric portraying France as overrun by Islamists.
\nThe Trappes shooting has also intensified political tensions ahead of next year\u2019s presidential election. Communist presidential candidate Fabien Roussel accused the far right of spreading \u201cracist hatred,\u201d while National Rally leader Marine Le Pen condemned the shooting and its \u201cabject motive of racism.\u201d
\nFrance\u2019s anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened an investigation into suspected terrorist murder with a racist motive. The suspect\u2019s precise ideological affiliations remain under investigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The French leader claimed no previous terrorist attack had targeted people because of their skin color or religion, overlooking Islamist attacks on Jews French President Emmanuel Macron has described a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40433,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t