HomeInternational NewsExplosion at Synagogue in France: Police Officer Injured in Targeted Attack

Explosion at Synagogue in France: Police Officer Injured in Targeted Attack

A police officer has been injured in an explosion outside a synagogue in the southern part of France, where authorities label the incident as a targeted attack. Security at Jewish institutions will now be intensified, according to government officials.

Police are searching for a suspect, and the anti-terror prosecutor’s office is leading the investigation, announced Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. “This is an anti-Semitic attack. Once again, our Jewish citizens have been targeted for violence,” Attal wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “We will not give up. In the face of anti-Semitism and violence, we will never let ourselves be intimidated.”

Two vehicles outside the synagogue in La Grande-Motte, a coastal town near Montpellier, burst into flames after a gas canister allegedly exploded inside one of the cars, according to police. Local media reports indicate that the incident occurred around 8:30 AM local time.

“Exploding a gas canister in a car in front of the synagogue at the expected arrival time for worshippers: this is not just an attack on a place of worship, it is an attempt to kill Jews,” said Yonathan Arfi, the head of CRIF (Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France), an umbrella organization for French Jewish groups, on X.

Two doors of the synagogue were also set on fire. It is unclear whether this occurred before or after the explosion. William Maury from the police union Alliance Police Nationale informed BFM TV that the injured officer’s life is not in danger.

Police confirmed that the case involved attempted arson but declined to provide further details. It is not immediately clear how many people were inside the synagogue at the time, and no reports of other injuries have emerged.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that police protection for synagogues as well as Jewish schools and businesses will be strengthened throughout France. He emphasized that the incident is viewed as an “attempted arson,” which “is clearly a criminal act.”

“I will assure our Jewish citizens of my full support and state that, at the request of President Emmanuel Macron, all available resources will be mobilized to find the perpetrator,” Darmanin wrote on X. Attal and Darmanin are expected to visit the synagogue later in the day.

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