A bombing outside a synagogue in southern France is being investigated by authorities as an “attempted terrorist murder.”
Police said the explosion was caused by two cars being set on fire outside the Bes Yaakov synagogue in the resort town of La Grande Motte. One of the vehicles contained a hidden gas canister.
Police sources told French media that CCTV captured a man setting a vehicle on fire carrying a Palestinian flag and possibly a pistol.
Jewish community leader Yonathan Arfi said the incident was an “attempt to kill Jews,” adding that the attack appeared to be targeting Saturday morning worshipers.
A police officer was injured in the explosion, which is believed to have occurred between 08:00 and 08:30 local time (07:00-07:30 BST). His injuries are said to be non-life threatening.
Authorities said five people, including the rabbi, were inside the synagogue at the time. President Macron called the incident a “terrorist act.”
One witness, who asked not to be named, told the BBC: “Just as we rounded the last corner there was a huge explosion and a fireball flew into the air.
“It was so surreal, like a movie. We didn’t go any further.”
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin are expected to visit the site later on Saturday.
They both condemned the attack, which Attar called an “anti-Semitic act” while Darmanin said security around Jewish sites would be stepped up.
“I would like to assure our Jewish compatriots and the city government of my full support,” the interior minister added.
Both leaders said security forces were hunting the suspects.
France’s Jewish community is already living under high security, with many synagogues and yeshiva schools under police protection.
A January 2024 report by the Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) said anti-Semitic acts in France nearly tripled between 2022 and 2023.
In May, police shot and killed a man after a synagogue was vandalized in the northwestern city of Rouen. on fire.
In 2015, two days after the Charlie Hebdo magazine attack, four people were arrested Murdered during hostage attack In a kosher supermarket.
The blast comes as a new survey released last month by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) found growing concern among Europe’s Jewish communities The group’s Jews continue to face high levels of anti-Semitism.
More than 8,000 Jews from 13 EU countries including Germany and France were interviewed. 96% said they had encountered anti-Semitism in their daily lives.
French political circles generally condemned the attempted arson. Left-wing politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon called it an “intolerable crime,” while Jordan Bardera of the far-right National Rally called it a “criminal and anti-Semitic act.”
