On Saturday, two cars outside a synagogue in the French town of La Grande-Motte exploded, injuring a police officer and prompting an investigation into the event as a possible terrorist attack. Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron has labeled the event as a terrorist act and said the “fight against antisemitism is a constant fight”.
The vehicles were lit on fire at around 8 am, a DC-based newspaper reported.
Police have reportedly detained the suspect of the attack following a raid in the nearby city of Nimes the same day as the attack. According to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, the suspect opened fire on police.
“The alleged perpetrator of the arson attack on the synagogue has been detained. Thanks to the police, and mainly the RAID, who intervened with great professionalism despite his gunfire,” Darmanin said on X.
“Once again, French Jews have been targeted and attacked because of their beliefs,” said Prime Minister Gabriel Attal who visited the scene of the attack alongside Darmanin. Attal added that he and Darmanin were “outraged and repulsed” by the attack.
According to Attal, the suspect of the attack was “extremely determined” to cause harm.
Two other fires were also started outside the synagogue, the prosecutor’s office said. Four people and a rabbi were present at the time of the attack but according to officials they were not injured. However, a police officer was injured after a propane gas tank inside one of the cars exploded.
“Our thoughts are with the congregation at the Grande-Motte synagogue and all the Jews of our country. Everything is being done to find the perpetrator of this terrorist act and to protect places of worship,” Macron said. “The fight against antisemitism is a constant battle, that of a united nation.”
France is home to the third-largest Jewish community in the world following Israel and the US. The Interior Ministry recorded 1,676 antisemitic attacks last year which is up from 436 in 2022. The attacks are most likely a response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas which began in October.