French Police shot an armed man attempting to set fire to a synagogue in the north-western city of Rouen, France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced today.
The man, armed with a knife and an iron bar, was shot when he advanced towards police officers responding to the scene.
Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol stated that the attack has shaken the entire city, not just the Jewish community.
Police were alerted around 06:45 (04:45 GMT) when smoke was spotted rising from the synagogue. Upon arrival, an officer shot the man who was attempting to ignite the building.
Firefighters quickly controlled the blaze inside the synagogue. According to the mayor, there were no casualties other than the attacker, but the damage to the synagogue was described as “significant.”
Two investigations have been launched: one into the arson attack on the synagogue and another into the shooting of the perpetrator.
Interior Minister Darmanin commended the police for their “responsiveness and courage.”
This incident occurs amid a rise in antisemitism in Western Europe following the escalation of violence in Gaza after Hamas attacked southern Israel in October.
Earlier this week, a memorial in Paris honoring 3,900 men and women who rescued Jews during the Nazi occupation of France was defaced with red-painted hands.
President Emmanuel Macron condemned the defacement, emphasising that it undermines the memory of France’s heroes and Holocaust victims.
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France, home to the world’s third-largest Jewish community, has seen a surge in antisemitic incidents. Elie Korchia, a leading figure in the Jewish community, thanked police for their swift response to “a new antisemitic drama in our country.”
Rouen has experienced attacks on places of worship before. Eight years ago, a priest was fatally stabbed during a church service.
This recent violence comes just days after two prison officers were shot dead in an ambush at a motorway toll south of Rouen, during which convicted prisoner Mohamed Amra escaped and remains at large.
