France opens terror probe after blast near synagogue
- In Reports
- 10:07 PM, Aug 24, 2024
- Myind Staff
French authorities are considering a blast outside a synagogue, which injured a police officer, as a potential terrorist attack. This is the latest in a series of incidents in recent months that have caused concern within France's large Jewish community.
A suspect captured on surveillance camera outside the Beth Yaacov synagogue in the seaside resort of La Grande-Motte, near Montpellier, was seen wearing a Palestinian flag. Two cars parked outside the synagogue caught fire after a gas canister likely exploded inside one of the vehicles, injuring a police officer, according to police reports.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced that France's national anti-terror prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the incident.
"La Grande Motte's synagogue was the target of an attack this morning," Attal said in a post on X. "An anti-Semitic act. Once again, our Jewish fellow citizens are being targeted."
Earlier, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin called the incident "an obviously criminal act". He said "all means are being deployed to find the perpetrator". The police presence outside Jewish sites in France will be heightened following the explosion, the minister added. Darmanin and Attal are scheduled to visit the explosion site on Saturday.
La Grande-Motte's mayor, Stephan Rossignol, mentioned that CCTV footage captured an individual setting fire to the cars. The blast occurred during Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, lasting from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, when many people attend synagogue services.
However, a police source stated that no religious service was in progress at the time of the incident. The blast caused damage to two doors of the synagogue. There was no immediate information regarding the severity of the police officer's injuries.
The town near Montpellier has a permanent population of around 8,500, but this number significantly increases during the summer tourism season. The explosion occurs at a time of heightened alert in France and other European countries due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Earlier this month, Darmanin reported that the government had recorded 887 anti-Semitic incidents in France during the first half of 2024, nearly three times the number reported in the same period in 2023.
France hosts the largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States, as well as the largest Muslim community within the European Union. The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France called the explosion "an attempt to kill Jews".
The use of a gas canister "in a car at a time when worshippers are expected to arrive at the synagogue is not simply a criminal act", CRIF president Yonathan Arfi told AFP. "This shows an intention to kill." Police have locked down the area around the synagogue.
France, like other European countries, has experienced a surge in antisemitic incidents following the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7th October and Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza.
Earlier this month, Darmanin reported that the government had recorded 887 antisemitic acts in France during the first half of 2024, nearly three times the number reported during the same period in 2023.
Image source: AFP
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