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Man Arrested by French Authorities for Trying to Set Fire to a Synagogue

August 26, 2024 TruthUSA

The individual allegedly ignited fires in multiple entry doors and nearby vehicles.

A man suspected of setting fire to a synagogue in a town in southern France was apprehended on Saturday after an altercation with law enforcement that involved gunfire.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin stated in an Aug. 24 X post that on Saturday morning, “an attempted arson attack, clearly criminal, hit the synagogue of La Grande-Motte.” He later revealed that the suspected perpetrator had been taken into custody.

“Thanks to the police, and mainly the RAID, who intervened with great professionalism despite his gunshots,” he wrote. RAID is a unit of the French police force.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal mentioned on X that nearly 200 officers were deployed, and the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office is currently investigating the incident.

He expressed gratitude to law enforcement and emergency services “who intervened with exceptional speed.”

“We likely averted a significant tragedy,” Attal stated.

“To attack a French person because he is Jewish is to attack all French people. Tolerating or legitimizing verbal attacks is to open the way to physical attacks.”

Attal stated that the suspected perpetrator ignited fires in multiple entry doors to the synagogue and nearby vehicles. Earlier reports from local media mentioned that the suspect set fire to two cars, one of which contained at least one gas canister, in the synagogue’s parking area around 8:30 a.m. local time.

The suspect was apprehended on Saturday evening in Nimes.

“Prior to police intervention, [the suspect] engaged in gunfire with the [police], who returned fire. The suspect sustained facial injuries,” as per the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, which also reported the detention of two other individuals.

A police officer suffered minor injuries when a gas canister exploded while authorities secured the attack site on Saturday morning, according to Attal.

French broadcaster BFM TV identified the suspect as a 33-year-old Algerian. Authorities announced increased police presence at synagogues, Jewish schools, and shops throughout France.

Attack on Jews, Anti-Semitism

Yonathan Arfi, president of the Jewish group CRIF, described in an X post that the attack involved “exploding a gas canister in a car in front of the synagogue … at the expected time of arrival of worshipers.”

“This is not just attacking a place of worship; it is an act to try to kill Jews. This is anti-Semitism in France. But the French Jews will not back down,” he emphasized.

He criticized the leftist party LFI for exploiting the Palestinian issue in a “outrageous and mendacious manner,” putting the Jewish community in France at risk.

“These incendiary provocations must cease!” he urged.

In November 2023, the European Commission reported a “spike of anti-Semitic incidents” across the region following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

The commission ramped up EU funding for safeguarding Jewish places of worship and other sites while implementing measures to ensure swift actions against anti-Semitic content on social media platforms.

In January, the commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that since the Oct. 7 attack, Jews in Europe have been “living again in fear.” She mentioned incidents of vandalism at synagogues and desecration of Jewish cemeteries.

The American Jewish Committee referred to the recent incident in France as an “attempt to terrorize” all Jews and praised the French authorities for halting the armed individual.

Last month, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released a survey in which 80 percent of Jewish respondents felt that anti-Semitism has risen in their respective countries over the past five years, as per a statement.

“Most respondents continue to worry for their own (53 percent) and their family’s (60 percent) safety and security,” the report noted.

“FRA research over the years has shown that anti-Semitism tends to increase during times of Middle East tensions. 75 percent of respondents feel that they are held accountable for the actions of the Israeli government because of their Jewish identity.”

The survey urged for enhanced monitoring, sufficient funding for anti-Semitism combat strategies and action plans across Europe, as well as better documentation of such incidents.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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