Wire reporting: (AP, via The Philadelphia Inquirer), (AFP, via SCMP)

A man arrested after a drive-by shooting in the Paris suburbs of Trappes and La Verriere on Friday, Oct. 23, left police custody and was placed under psychiatric observation, France's National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) said¹.

One person was killed and five others were wounded when a gunman fired from a vehicle at several locations over about 15 minutes, first in Trappes, in the Yvelines department southwest of Paris, then in neighboring La Verriere, according to French officials cited across outlets^1,3,6.

PNAT said a psychiatric expert advised the evaluation to determine whether the suspect's health was compatible with continued questioning, and that the observation was likely to last 48 hours¹. The office also said cannabis and cocaine were found in his bloodstream¹.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the gunman fired from inside a vehicle at people in three areas of the two towns and called the shooting a terrorist crime; The Local reported he was visiting the scene Friday afternoon⁶. Police arrested a 39-year-old man in nearby Coignieres, officials said⁶.

President Emmanuel Macron visited Trappes and called the episode a racist terrorist attack and a turning point, saying people had been targeted over skin color or religion^1,8.

Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh said the gunman appeared to fire at random and called the attack racist and probably Islamophobic⁶. Nunez had said motives were not yet known but could be racist⁶. Al Jazeera described the shooting as suspected Islamophobic¹².

Prosecutors opened inquiries including murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, with an aggravating circumstance of targeting actual or supposed race, ethnicity, nationality or religion, plus weapons offenses^6,8.

BBC, citing French media, named the suspect as 39-year-old Kevin T.¹. Times of India, citing prosecutors, said he was born in 1987 and had four prior convictions that had been automatically expunged⁸. BBC said he had been known to police but not to intelligence services, according to local media¹.

The Local said the weapon was a World War II-era Sten gun and that police found tear gas grenades at the suspect's home⁶. Times of India said investigators found a Sten-type submachine gun and tear gas in the car, and that a search of the apartment found three gas cylinders and electrical wires connected to a timer, arranged as a trap⁸. A family member was also taken into custody, Times of India reported⁸.

Among the wounded was a 12-year-old girl. BBC said she remained in a critical condition; La Verriere Mayor Nicolas Dainville told France Info the girl was doing better, and that two other wounded people in his town were school cleaners^1,6.

BBC identified the man killed as Pengo Bossio Wangi, 26, a French-Congolese martial artist; his lawyer told French media the psychiatric placement was very rare¹. Associated Press stations carried an Instagram tribute from a martial-arts club in Aubervilliers^14,15.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said security and judicial resources were fully mobilized⁴. Whether the suspect will return to interrogation remained for prosecutors and psychiatrists to determine¹.