The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office said the attack was being investigated as an attempted murder linked to a terrorist group and destruction of property by dangerous means. Arrested 50 km from the synagogue.
Authorities have opened a terrorism investigation after a explosion outside a synagogue in southwestern France injured a police officer.
Two cars parked in the Beth Yaacov synagogue complex, in the coastal town of La Grande Motte, near Montpellier, were set on fire shortly after 8:00 on Saturday, local time, according to the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office in a statement.
Firefighters discovered additional fires at two entrances to the synagogue. A police officer who approached the scene was injured after the explosion of a propane gas tank in one of the vehiclesaccording to the statement. Five people, including the rabbi, who were present in the synagogue complex at the time of the attack were unharmed.
Prosecutors were investigating the attack as assassination attempt linked to a terrorist group and destruction of property with dangerous means, according to the statement. Security forces also reported that a manhunt is underway to find the suspect.
La Grande Motte Mayor Stéphan Rossignol said investigators were reviewing city surveillance videos and said: a lone suspect was seen at the scene of the attack.
“We do not know if the individual has left the city or if he is still there.“Rossignol said in an interview with the ‘France Info’ radio station. “The individual in question did not manage to enter the synagogue, although that was clearly his objective.”
Prosecutors said a male suspect seen in surveillance videos fleeing the scene carrying a Palestinian flag and a gun. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations amid an ongoing investigation.
The president Emmanuel Macron He called the attack a “terrorist act” and said “everything possible is being done to find (the) perpetrator.”
“The fight against antisemitism is a constant battle“he said in a post on X.
Acting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said the synagogue was attacked in a “horrific and appalling” act of violence.
“One more time, French Jews have been attacked because of their beliefs“Attal declared after meeting with local authorities and synagogue staff.
A large-caliber operation: Search and capture of the attacker
have been deployed at least 200 police officers and other security personnel to arrest the perpetrator, Attal added.
Previously, the acting Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, ordered police reinforcements to protect Jewish places of worship and after what was “clearly a criminal act.”
He ordered the deployment of more police officers in Jewish places of worship across the country following the rise of anti-Semitism since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas last October.
Arrest of the suspect the night of Saturday to Sunday
The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) has confirmed the arrest of the alleged perpetrator of the attack occurred on Saturday, in an operation that took place overnight in the city of Nîmes.
The suspect was located approximately 50 kilometers from the site of the attacksuggesting an escape attempt by the alleged perpetrator. The arrest was not without tension, since The suspect opened fire on the police officers who were approaching to arrest him. In response to this aggression, law enforcement was forced to return fire, resulting in the detainee “he was wounded in the face”as detailed in an official statement from the PNAT issued in the early hours of Sunday.
Although the full identity of the detainee has not been officially revealed, Local sources have reported that it is a 33-year-old man of Algerian nationality..
The police operation was not limited to the arrest of the main suspect. In an effort to unravel the support network that may have facilitated both the attack and subsequent escape, The authorities have arrested two other people from the suspect’s entourage.
