French police have arrested a suspect after an explosion outside a synagogue on Saturday. Police have a man under arrest who is accused of starting fires and setting off an explosion at a synagogue in southern France on Saturday in what has been termed a terrorist attack, according to the French interior minister.
“The suspected perpetrator of the criminal fires at the synagogue has been detained,” Gerald Darmanin said on X, adding that the suspect fired at the police offices as they came to arrest him, The Times of Israel reported.
“Update: The suspect was arrested following a shoot out with police in the city of Nimes, France," Andy Ngo posted. "He is accused of being the man who set fire to a synagogue and caused an explosion outside. The suspect was wearing a Palestinian flag.”
“A photo has been released of the wanted suspect in the bombing outside a synagogue in southern France. The man appears to have a pistol at his waist under the Palestine flag. France has the largest number of Muslims in a Western European country, and also experiences the most Islamic terror attacks.”
The explosion injured one police officer in the coastal town of La Grande Motte. Police made their arrest in the adjacent town of Nimes, according to The Times. According to one unidentified source, police also arrested two other other people, possibly working with the accused terrorist.
France’s interim Prime Minister Gabriel Attal visited the synagogue and remarked, “We narrowly avoided an absolute tragedy. Once more, French Jews have been targeted and attacked as a result of their beliefs.”
“If the synagogue had been filled with worshippers… there probably would have been human victims.”
Security around all synagogues and significant Jewish sites is being strictly enforced after Saturday’s attack at the Beth Yaacov synagogue in La Grande Motte. The assailant set ablaze two cars parked outside the religious facility by using a gas canister to start and accelerate the fire, until the liquid exploded, The Times noted.
Two fires were also reported at the front doors of the synagogue. The blaze was extinguished, but not before damage occurred. A police officer was wounded after he raced to the scene of the incident. French President Emmanuel Macron described the fires and explosion as “an act of terror,” adding on X: “The fight against antisemitism is a daily fight.”
https://twittter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1827308482359410697
Surveillance footage obtained of the crime shows a man wearing a Palestinian flag around his waist, and his head covered by a red Palestinian keffiyeh. He is carrying two bottles containing a yellow-colored liquid. The outline of a handgun can be seen on his clothing. The accused fled the crime scene on foot. The incident occurred amid frequent anti-Israel protests in France over the ongoing war in Gaza.
