French prosecutor seeks pretrial detention for 39-year-old suspect in Trappes attack

France's national counterterrorism prosecutor has asked that a 39-year-old man identified as Kevin T. be placed in pretrial detention over a deadly attack near Paris, according to the Associated Press. Pretrial detention means a suspect is held in custody while the case proceeds, before any trial.

The attack took place in Trappes and La Verrière, in the Yvelines département west of Paris. Reuters reported that one person was killed and five others wounded, and that a 12-year-old girl was among the injured. Franceinfo described the suspect as known to police before the attack.

Le Monde reported that, according to prosecutors, Kevin T. does not dispute the material facts but contests that the crimes were racist. A report by TF1 said that he admitted to specifically targeting people of Muslim, African or similar type.

Kevin T. was taken to court overnight for his mise en examen, the French procedure in which an investigating judge formally places a person under investigation and sets out the case against him before any decision on detention or trial.