The local prosecutor says two investigations into attempted arson and the death of an unidentified suspect are ongoing.
French police shot dead a gunman suspected of setting fire to a synagogue in the northern city of Rouen, authorities said.
On Friday, police intervened at around 6:45 am (04:45 GMT) after smoke was reported in the synagogue. A man present at the scene, allegedly carrying a knife and a crowbar, threatened a police officer, who then “used his weapon”, the Rouen prosecutor said.
The man was not immediately identified.
Previously, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on X that the armed individual had been “neutralized.”
Two investigations were underway, the first into the arson of a place of worship and “intentional violence” against police, and the second into the man’s death, according to the prosecutor.
The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office said it is currently evaluating whether to take up the case, news agency AFP reported.
Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, mayor of Rouen, said the attack on the synagogue did not just affect the faithful, but that the entire city was “hurt and in a state of shock.”
There were no other victims, he said, posting on X from the location.
“Tonight is the beginning of the Sabbath and it is important to light the candles to show that we are not afraid,” Rouen Chief Rabbi Chmouel Lubecki told news network BFMTV.
High alert
France has the largest Jewish community of any country, after Israel and the United States, as well as the largest Muslim community in Europe. Tensions rose following the start of Israel’s war in Gaza on October 7 following a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel.
Red graffiti was painted on France’s Holocaust Memorial earlier this week, sparking anger including from President Emmanuel Macron, who condemned “hateful anti-Semitism”.
“The attempt to burn down a synagogue is an attempt to intimidate all Jews. Once again, an attempt is being made to impose a climate of terror on the Jews of our country. Fighting anti-Semitism means defending the Republic,” wrote Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF), in X.
In 2016, Rouen was rocked by an attack later claimed by ISIS (ISIL), when a priest was killed with a knife during church service in the town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, in the southern part of the Rouen urban agglomeration.
France hosts the Summer Olympic Games in two months and recently raised its state of alert to the highest level in light of the current geopolitical scenario.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
