Yvelines terrorist attack firearm purchased illegally, prosecutor says, Digi Mart USA News (Yvelines, France): France’s antiterrorism prosecutor, Olivier Christen, said Tuesday on RTL that the perpetrator of the racially motivated terrorist attack in the Yvelines on October 23 had bought his firearm “clandestinely.” He said the suspect, Kévin T., was not legally authorized to hold a firearm.
Christen said the weapon was “bought clandestinely” and belongs to category A, which includes automatic weapons firing in bursts, as well as “elements of weapons,” devices that make a weapon more effective. Investigators will need to determine how he was able to acquire it.
Mediapart revealed Monday that Kévin T. had for years practiced shooting a pump-action shotgun on a vacant lot in Saint-Cyr-l’Ecole, in the Yvelines, and had posted images filmed in summer 2015.
Asked whether authorities had missed warning signs and whether the attack could have been prevented, Christen said: “In this case, I don’t believe so. I have no evidence that allows us to think that.” He added that membership in a sports club or participation in trap shooting alone cannot be enough to identify a potential target, since many people take part in such activities peacefully.
On October 23, Kévin T., driving his car, killed a 26-year-old French man of African origin and wounded seven others, four of them seriously, in Trappes and La Verrière in the Yvelines. The majority of the victims were of African and North African origin.
The Pnat, the national antiterrorism prosecutor’s office, also counts 22 victims who were not physically harmed but whose vehicles were struck by bullets or who were targeted without being hit, which, Christen said, causes clear psychological trauma.
Since the Pnat was established in July 2019, it has opened 23 proceedings concerning “violent radical far-right” activity, Christen said, describing the number as growing in recent years. He said there were typically one or two such proceedings per year, with six opened in 2025 and six so far in 2026.
He also reported four proceedings over seven years for “violent radical far-left” activity and 480 for jihadism.
Christen said the main threat remains jihadist. Asked about risks tied to the upcoming presidential election, he said there is currently no specific targeting of elections in what has been detected.
He said terrorists, regardless of ideology, are opportunistic and most often act when circumstances allow, which is why vigilance is needed at gatherings, particularly sporting events. He noted that the current climate of heated public debate creates tension that could lead some people to believe the moment is right to act.
“We remain vigilant. It is our duty,” Christen said.
He added that the number of open terrorism proceedings this year will be among the highest of the past five to six years, and that the threat is very present, diversifying, and perhaps more segmented than before.
