French police have arrested and detained a suspect believed to be behind an arson attack on a synagogue in a southwestern Mediterranean town that injured a police officer, the country’s interior minister said.
Two cars parked in front of the Beth Yaacov synagogue in the seaside resort of La Grande Motte, near Montpellier, were set on fire shortly after 8 a.m. on Saturday, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
“The alleged perpetrator of the arson attack on the synagogue has been arrested,” Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced in a post on X. He visited the scene of the incident with resigning Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and met with local officers and synagogue employees.
Mr. Darmanin also praised the professionalism of the police and the RAID who intervened despite the gunfire. He did not provide further information.
Firefighters discovered additional fires at two entrances to the synagogue. A police officer who responded to the scene was injured after a propane gas cylinder exploded in one of the vehicles, the statement said.
Five people, including the rabbi, who were present in the synagogue complex at the time of the attack were unharmed, he added.
Prosecutors are investigating the attack for “attempted terrorist assassinations,” “destruction by dangerous means in connection with a terrorist enterprise” and “terrorist criminal association with a view to preparing crimes against persons,” the statement said.
Interim Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin ordered a reinforcement of police forces to protect Jewish places of worship and said the incident was an “attempted arson, clearly criminal.”
“I want to assure our Jewish fellow citizens and the community of my full support and say that at the request of the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, all means are being mobilized to find the perpetrator,” Mr. Darmanin assured on X. He ordered the deployment of more police officers in Jewish places of worship across the country, following the rise in anti-Semitism since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas last year.
La Grande Motte Mayor Stephan Rossignol said investigators were reviewing video surveillance, saying a lone suspect was seen at the scene of the attack.
“The individual in question did not manage to enter the synagogue, although that was clearly his objective,” Mr. Rossignol emphasized during an interview for France Info.
Sources familiar with the investigation said a male suspect seen on surveillance footage fleeing the site was carrying a Palestinian flag and a weapon. They spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with regulations, as part of an ongoing investigation.
President Emmanuel Macron called the attack on the synagogue a “terrorist act” and assured that “everything is being done to find the perpetrator.” […] and protect places of worship.”
“The fight against anti-Semitism is a constant battle, that of the united Nation,” wrote Mr. Macron on X.
Gabriel Attal said the synagogue was targeted in the attack, which he described as an “act of anti-Semitism.”
“Once again, our Jewish fellow citizens are being targeted,” Mr. Attal lamented in a message on X. He added: “Faced with anti-Semitism, faced with violence, we will never let ourselves be intimidated.”