Foiled arson in Rouen
Attempted attack on synagogue in France – police shoot perpetrator
France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin reported on the attack on a synagogue on X (archive photo)
© Thomas Samson / 3p-afp / DPA
In Rouen, a man tries to set fire to a synagogue. The approaching police shoot him and prevent the fire. This is what France’s Interior Minister reports.
The police in northern France Rouen prevented an arson attack on a synagogue in the morning and shot the armed suspect. The man apparently tried to set the synagogue on fire and was killed by the emergency services, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote in the online service X.
The officers were alerted because of “smoke development near the synagogue,” police sources said. “The man was armed with a knife and an iron bar,” a source familiar with the case told AFP. The man approached the police officers, who opened fire and killed him.
It is also being examined whether the shot at the arsonist was justified
Prosecutors in Rouen opened two separate investigations into the incident. Prosecutor Frédéric Teillet told AFP that he was being investigated for arson and violence against officials. According to him, the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s death should also be investigated.
France is home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel and the USA. At the same time, the country is home to Europe’s largest Muslim community.
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