An explosion outside a synagogue in the southern French town of La Grande-Motte on Saturday morning injured a policeman and damaged at least two vehicles, according to local officials.
Two cars set on fire outside a synagogue in southern France on Saturday caused an explosion in which a police officer was injured, authorities said.
The explosion outside the Beth Yaacov synagogue in La Grande-Motte sparked a fire that engulfed two cars, including one that contained a gas canister, according to the police.
A local policeman who arrived at the scene of the fire was injured, La Grande-Motte Mayor Stéphan Rossignol told AFP. But no details of his condition were released.
Outgoing Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin denounced an “obviously criminal” act in a post on X.
“I want to assure our Jewish fellow citizens and the town of my full support,” said Darmanin, adding that “all means have been mobilised to find the perpetrator”.
Both Darmanin and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal were to travel to the site of the explosion later Saturday.
The town's surveillance cameras captured images of an individual setting fire to vehicles in front of the Beth Yaacov synagogue, according to Rossignol.
The fire brigade was called to the scene and alerted the gendarmerie at around 8.30am local time, according to the police.
The explosion was likely caused by a gas canister hidden in one of the cars, police said.
La Motte, which has around 8,500 permanent residents, is a popular seaside resort and visited by more than 100,000 tourists every year.
Earlier this month, Darmanin said that the government had counted 887 anti-Semitic acts in France in the first half of 2024, nearly three times as many as in the same period in 2023.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
