Paris, 24 October (H.S.): A shooting spree across two towns on the outskirts of Paris left one person dead and several others injured on Friday(October 23), after a gunman allegedly opened fire on people from a moving vehicle, French authorities said.

The incident occurred in Trappes and neighbouring La Verrière, in the Yvelines department, approximately 20 kilometres west of the French capital. The suspect was arrested in the nearby town of Coignières shortly after the shootings, which reportedly began at around 10.30 am local time.

According to the initial police account, one person was killed and four others were wounded. Subsequent reports from prosecutors indicated that five people had been injured. Authorities cautioned that the details surrounding the victims and the circumstances of the attack were still being established.

Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh said in a social media post that the assailant had fired at several people along his route through the two towns. Emergency services and law enforcement agencies responded to the incident, while investigators began examining the sequence of events and the possible motive behind the attack.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the incident as extremely serious and said that all available security and judicial resources had been mobilised to address the situation.

The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office subsequently took up the investigation, examining the possibility that the shooting was linked to a terrorist enterprise and that the victims may have been targeted on the grounds of their perceived racial, ethnic, national or religious identity. The motive and circumstances remain subject to investigation.

The incident has heightened concern over public safety in the Paris region, as France continues to grapple with security challenges and tensions surrounding public demonstrations. Authorities are investigating the case to establish the full circumstances of the attack and determine the suspect’s responsibility.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar