French Police Kill Man Suspected of Setting Fire to Synagogue in Rouen

Police in France have shot dead an armed man who was suspected of setting fire to a synagogue in the northern city of Rouen, the authorities said.

On Friday, police intervened at about 6:45am (04:45 GMT) after smoke was reported at the synagogue. A man at the scene, reportedly carrying a knife and a crowbar, threatened a police officer, who then “used his weapon”, said the Rouen prosecutor. The man was not immediately identified.

Earlier Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on X that the armed individual was “neutralised”. Two investigations were under way, the first into the arson attack on a place of worship and “intentional violence” against police, and the second into the death of the man, according to the prosecutor. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office said that it was currently assessing whether it would take up the case, the AFP news agency reported.

Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, the mayor of Rouen, said the attack on the synagogue did not just affect worshippers, but that the entire city was “bruised and in shock”. There were no other victims, he said, posting on X from the scene. “Tonight is the beginning of the Sabbath and it’s important to light the candles to show that we are not afraid,” Rouen’s chief Rabbi Chmouel Lubecki told news network BFMTV.

France has the largest Jewish community of any country after Israel and the United States, as well as Europe’s largest Muslim community. Tensions ramped up after the start of Israel’s war in Gaza on October 7 following a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel.

Source: Aljazeera