Police detain suspect allegedly behind synagogue blast in southern France

Police have detained a person suspected of an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in the southern French town of La Grande-Motte.

CNN affiliate BFMTV reported that two elite police units detained the suspect following a raid in the nearby city of Nimes on Saturday.

The suspect opened fire on the police, according to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.

“The alleged perpetrator of the arson attack on the synagogue has been detained. Thanks to the police, and mainly the RAID, who intervened with great professionalism despite his gunfire,” Darmanin said on X, referencing an elite unit of the National Police.

BFMTV reported that the suspect was wounded but not in critical condition following the gunfight.

The arrest follows a blast outside a synagogue that injured a police officer, the latest in a series of incidents in recent months that have unsettled France’s large Jewish community.

A lone suspect set multiple cars on fire in a parking lot across the street from Synagogue Beth Yaacov before one exploded in La Grande-Motte, a southern seaside town not far from Montpellier. Observant Jews typically go to synagogue on Saturday morning to celebrate the Sabbath.

“Our thoughts are with the congregation at the Grande-Motte synagogue and all the Jews of our country. Everything is being done to find the perpetrator of this terrorist act and tpo protect places of worship,” French President Emmanuel Macron said. “The fight against antisemitism is a constant battle, that of a united nation.”

French anti-terrorism prosecutors earlier confirmed in an email to CNN that they had taken charge of the investigation. It said an initial investigation indicated that the perpetrator was carrying a Palestinian flag and a gun.

La Motte’s mayor, Stephan Rossignol, said in an interview with French radio Franceinfo that the incident began with what appeared to be a diversionary tactic: a suspect setting cars on fire in a parking lot under an office building across the street from the synagogue.

When emergency services arrived, there was a powerful explosion that injured one police officer, knocking the individual to the ground, Rossignol said.

A statement from the anti-terrorism prosecutor said that the explosion was caused by a bottle of gasoline inside one of the vehicles set alight.

The statement added that five people were inside the synagogue at the time, including the synagogue’s rabbi. Rossignol said the perpetrator’s goal was “clearly” to get inside the building, but the individual was unable to do so. The suspect then unsuccessfully tried to set fire to the outside of the synagogue.

“Once again, our fellow Jewish citizens have been targeted,” Outgoing French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on X. “In the face of antisemitism, in the face of violence, we will never be intimidated.”

France’s Jewish community – the largest in Europe – has been subject to increasing harassment and violence since the October 7 terror attacks against Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Anti-Jewish incidents in the country nearly tripled in the first half of 2024 compared to the prior year, outgoing Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said earlier this month. Several synagogues have been targeted.

Yonathan Arfi, the head of the main Jewish interest group in France, CRIF, said he believed the attack was motivated by “the desire to kill Jews.”

Attal said he would be traveling to the synagogue later in the day with Darmanin, who on X that the incident was “clearly criminal” and that “all means are being mobilized to find the perpetrator.”

At Macron’s request, Darmanin has asked that prefects across France reinforce the already heightened security presence around Jewish institutions across the country, the ministry said.

This story has been updated with additional information.