French national anti-terror prosecutors (PNAT) have launched a probe into what they now suspect was a racially motivated terrorist attack after a man shot and killed his Tunisian neighbour and wounded a Turkish citizen in Puget-sur-Argens, a town in the southern Var region.
The tragic incident occurred late Saturday, when a 53-year-old French man, described as a sports shooting enthusiast, opened fire on his neighbours. The Tunisian victim, aged 35, was shot five times and died at the scene. A 25-year-old Turkish man was shot in the hand and is currently recovering in hospital.
According to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier, the suspect posted two videos on social media both before and after the attack, in which he expressed racist and hateful sentiments. These disturbing materials prompted national anti-terror authorities to take over the case, opening an investigation into a “terrorist plot” driven by the victims’ ethnicity or religion.
The suspect fled the scene by car but was arrested nearby shortly after, thanks to a tip-off from his partner who alerted police.
The attack has sparked renewed concerns about rising hate crimes in France, particularly against Muslims. Anti-racism group SOS Racisme condemned the shooting, declaring the “racist nature of this double crime is beyond doubt,” and warning of a “poisonous climate” fostered by the growing normalisation of hate speech.
This incident follows a similarly alarming attack in April, when Aboubakar Cisse, a Malian national, was stabbed to death during prayers at a mosque in La Grand-Combe. That attack, which PNAT declined to classify as terrorism at the time, drew criticism from rights groups and political commentators for the lack of a strong state response.
The latest shooting has intensified pressure on French authorities to more robustly address hate crimes and reassess how cases involving racial or religious motives are handled. Critics have also directed anger at Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who did not visit the scene of the April mosque killing, fuelling accusations of indifference toward minority victims.
As investigations continue, the incident is reigniting debate over racism, extremism, and France’s approach to tackling hate-driven violence.
