Four individuals apprehended following a synagogue blaze in southern France's region.
As reported by the French anti-terror prosecutor's office (Pnat), the prime suspect was apprehended late Saturday evening in Nîmes. The arrest took place around 11:30 PM, following a gunfight with the police. The suspect initiated the firefight, which prompted the officers to retaliate, according to Pnat. The suspect apparently sustained injuries to the face.
The individual, as suggested by a reliable source, is a 33-year-old Algerian with permanent residency status.
In response to the attack on the synagogue in the renowned southern French holiday spot, La Grande-Motte, authorities are treating it as a terroristic incident. On Saturday morning, two vehicles were torched in the courtyard of the Beth Yaacov Synagogue in the Mediterranean town. Additionally, two doors of the synagogue and a vehicle parked outside the building were set ablaze.
French President Emmanuel Macron labeled it as a "terrorist act". Pnat initiated an investigation, encompassing charges of attempted terrorist murder and the establishment of a terrorist criminal association to perpetrate violence against individuals.
As per Pnat, a gas canister in one of the charred vehicles detonated, injuring a police officer. According to the prefecture, four more gas canisters were stored in the courtyard of the building, one of which also exploded. The investigators reviewed surveillance footage showing a man waving a Palestinian flag and wearing a Palestinian headscarf close to the synagogue shortly after the Shabbat explosion. A weapon is also discernible in one of the images.
Typically, synagogue attendees predominantly attend services during Saturday mornings; however, at the time of the assault, only five individuals were present in the building, including the rabbi, all of whom remained unhurt. Perla Danan, a spokesperson for the Jewish umbrella organization Crif, commented that "there are numerous vacationers in La Grande-Motte and along the coast who come to pray during the summer months."
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, during his visit to the southern French coastal city, stated that France had "thwarted an absolute tragedy". He denounced "an environment instigated by some since October 7 and the unparalleled attack by the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas on Israel."
The frequency of anti-Semitic hate crimes in France has experienced a substantial surge since the onset of the war in the Gaza Strip, provoked by the radical Islamic Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7. There were 887 such incidents recorded in the first half of the year, which is a stark increase compared to the 304 incidents reported during the corresponding period in 2023.
Despite the heightened tensions and increased anti-Semitic incidents, many Jewish individuals still choose to visit synagogues during their vacations in places like La Grande-Motte. Fortunately, despite the attempted terroristic attack on Sunday, only the rabbi and four others were present in the synagogue at the time and all remained unharmed.
