SYNAGOGUE FIRE SUSPECT KILLED BY FRENCH POLICE

Fri 17 May 2024:

In France, police have shot and killed an armed man suspected of setting fire to a synagogue in Rouen, authorities reported.

On Friday, police responded around 6:45am (04:45 GMT) after receiving reports of smoke at the synagogue. The suspect, armed with a knife and a crowbar, allegedly threatened a police officer, prompting the officer to “use his weapon,” according to the Rouen prosecutor.

French police shot dead an armed man who set fire to a synagogue in the northwestern city of Rouen, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and local officials said https://t.co/OWE8EK1wNP pic.twitter.com/bSYAeHHmlS

— Reuters (@Reuters) May 17, 2024

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.

Attaque sur la synagogue de Rouen : ce vendredi 17 mai en début de matinée, un individu a tenté de mettre le feu à la synagogue de Rouen. L'homme, armé, a été "neutralisé par les policiers".

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, home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel and the United States, as well as Europe’s largest Muslim community, has seen heightened tensions since the onset of Israel’s war in Gaza on October 7, following a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel.

Earlier this week, red graffiti was found on France’s Holocaust Memorial, sparking outrage, including condemnation from President Emmanuel Macron, who denounced the “odious anti-Semitism.”

With the Summer Olympic Games set to begin in two months, France has recently elevated its alert status to the highest level in response to the current geopolitical climate.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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