On the Jewish day of rest, Shabbat, an explosion took place outside a synagogue in the southern French coastal town of La Grande-Motte. It is said to have been a terrorist attack with an anti-Semitic motive; a police officer was injured.
According to official information, at least two cars were set on fire in front of the Beth Yaacov synagogue in La Grande-Motte on Saturday morning. When a police officer arrived, a gas container in one of the cars exploded, Mayor Stéphan Rossignol said. The police officer was injured. The nature of the injuries was initially unknown.
According to investigators, the fire spread to the entrance of the synagogue. The doors of the Jewish church were damaged by the fire.
CCTV footage shows suspect
Police have released an image of a suspect captured on surveillance camera. The footage shows a man with empty bottles in his hand and a Palestinian flag around his waist.
One of the images shows a weapon that could be a 9mm pistol. However, the footage is unclear. The suspect is said to have left the scene on foot.
Macron speaks of a “terrorist act”
“Everything is being done to find the perpetrator of this terrorist act,” President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday. “The fight against anti-Semitism is a daily battle at all times and in a united nation,” Macron stressed in the online service. X. His thoughts went out to the “faithful of the synagogue of La Grande-Motte and all Jews” in the country.
On the Jewish holiday of Shabbat, which begins on Friday evening and ends on Saturday night, worshippers flock to synagogues, especially on Saturday mornings. However, there was no service taking place in the synagogue in the southern French city at the time of the attack, AFP learned from police sources. According to investigators, a rabbi and four other people were in the building at the time of the attack and all were unharmed.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said the anti-terror prosecutor’s office had taken over the investigation. In X, he spoke of an “anti-Semitic act.” Security forces “are currently pursuing the suspect.” The public prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation into attempted terrorist murder.
Security measures for synagogues have been tightened
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, for his part, ordered increased security measures for Jewish institutions across the country. Darmanin has asked prefects in France to “immediately” increase the presence of security forces outside Jewish institutions, ministry sources said.
In the online service X, Darmanin spoke of an “obviously criminal” act “I would like to assure our fellow Jews and the community of my full support.”
Anti-Semitic crimes on the rise
The number of anti-Semitic crimes in France has increased significantly since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the radical Islamist Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. According to Darmanin, 887 such acts were recorded in the first half of the year. In 2023, there were 304 acts in the same period.
The Jewish umbrella organization Crif said months ago that anti-Semitic crimes had almost “exploded” after October 7. On Saturday, Crif condemned the La Grande-Motte incident as an “attempt to murder Jews.” Using a gas canister in a car in front of a synagogue when people are expected to pray there is “not just a criminal act,” Crif leader Yonathan Afri said. “That indicates an intention to kill.”
Source: Krone
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