Police and fire brigade stand by a synagogue in the Normandy city of Rouen where French police have killed earlier an armed man who was trying to set fire to the building. Photograph: Lou Benoist/AFP/Getty Images
Summary of the day
French police have shot dead a man armed with a knife and iron bar who set fire to a synagogue in the Normandy city of Rouen.
Emergency services were alerted after a fire was detected at the synagogue.
Yonathan Arfi, the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), said that: “attempting to burn a synagogue is an attempt to intimidate all Jews. Once again, there is an attempt to impose a climate of terror on the Jews of our country. Combating antisemitism means defending the republic.”
The Rouen mayor, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, said there was “significant damage” to the synagogue.
Chmouel Lubecki, a rabbi in Rouen, said today’s incident was “shocking” and that it was “important to light the candles of Shabbat to exactly show that we are not afraid.”
Elie Korchia, president of France’s Consistoire Central Jewish worshippers body, thanked police who had “avoided another anti-Semitic tragedy”.
Gérald Darmanin, the French interior minister, said “he person who set fire to the synagogue in Rouen was not French, he was of Algerian origin.”
The attacker was subject to an order to be expelled from France. But he had made an appeal against the decision, which meant the expulsion was suspended while the appeal was taking place.
Gérald Darmanin, the French interior minister, said the person who set fire to a synagogue in Rouen was not French, Reuters reported.
“The person who set fire to the synagogue in Rouen was not French, he was of Algerian origin,” Darmanin said.
Updated
Slovakia's prime minister in intensive care, as condition remains serious
Meanwhile, away from France, Robert Fico, Slovakia’s prime minister, remains in intensive care, the country’s government said in a statement, Reuters reported.
Fico was shot on Wednesday in an incident that elicited shock across Europe.
The prime minister is conscious but his condition remains serious, a hospital director said.
A deputy prime minister, Robert Kaliňák, said it will take several days to for doctors to be sure that Fico will recover.
Updated
Rouen prosecutor Frédéric Teillet has held a brief news conference. As well as outlining the circumstances that led up to officers shooting the man, he confirmed authorities are seeking to verify his identity. The prosecutor took no questions.
Police say they have still not identified Rouen synagogue attacker
Associated Press, in its latest report on the incident, says police have still not identified the man who attacked the Rouen synagogue and was shot dead by police.
It reported that Frédéric Desguerre, a regional police union official, told broadcaster BFM-TV that the man hurled the metal bar he was carrying at the officers and pulled out a long kitchen knife from one of his sleeves.
“He moved toward them with a determined air, quite violent,” he said.
Desguerre, of the Unité police union, said an officer fired five shots after warning the man to stop moving.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said this month that the sharp spike in antisemitic acts in France that followed the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel has continued into this year.
Authorities registered 366 antisemitic acts in the first three months of 2024, a 300% increase over the same period last year, Attal said. More than 1,200 antisemitic acts were reported in the last three months of 2023 — which was three times more than in the whole of 2022, he said.
“We are witnessing an explosion of hatred,” he said.
Updated
Here’s a map of today’s incident in Rouen.
You can read our full report on the attack from our Paris correspondent, Angelique Chrisafis, here:
Here are more images from Rouen this morning.
'Significant damage' to Rouen synagogue, mayor says
The Rouen mayor, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, said the suspect is thought to have climbed onto a trash container and thrown “a sort of Molotov cocktail” inside the synagogue, starting a fire and causing “significant damage,” the Associated Press reported.
National police said the officers were alerted early this morning that smoke was rising from the Rouen synagogue and came face to face with the man when they arrived.
Police said said the man surged toward officers with a knife and a metal bar.
An officer opened fire and fatally wounded the man, the police added.
Updated
Chmouel Lubecki, a rabbi in Rouen, said today’s incident was “shocking.”
“It is important to light the candles of Shabbat to exactly show that we are not afraid,” he said.
Synagogue visée à Rouen: "Ce soir c'est Shabbat et c'est important d'allumer les bougies pour montrer qu'on n'a pas peur", déclare Chmouel Lubecki, rabbin de la ville pic.twitter.com/pXBjWy1TLb
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) May 17, 2024
Updated
Here’s a photo of firefighters near the synagogue in Rouen this morning.
Très important déploiement de policiers rue des Bons Enfants à #Rouen. Pompiers présents sur place également à proximité de la synagogue. pic.twitter.com/h3FLniXl1q
— Thomas Rideau (@tom_rideau) May 17, 2024
Updated
Today’s incident comes at a time of growing concern about antisemitism in Europe.
Jewish communities across Europe have been grappling with an increase in hate speech, vandalism, harassment and threats since Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.
In recent weeks, Warsaw’s main synagogue was attacked with firebombs and the president of the Belgian union of Jewish students was assaulted in Brussels.
“The statistics speak of a rise of hundreds of percentages all over Europe,” said Pinchas Goldschmidt, the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, told the Guardian earlier this week.
Goldschmidt said that “many Jews are trying to hide their Jewishness”. “One of the most asked questions to the rabbis since October 7 is if you can take off the mezuzah [a religious parchment in a case] off your door,” he said, adding: “This says a lot.”
Le Figaro reports that police intervened around 6:45am due to smoke at a Rouen synagogue.
Officials saw a suspect on the roof, who then jumped and rushed at police with an iron bar and knife and tried to stab a police officer, according to Le Figaro, which cited a source.
Updated
The Jewish community’s leadership is expressing “anger and sadness” at today’s incident in Rouen.
Synagogue de Rouen: Yonathan Arfi, président du CRIF confie sa "colère et sa tristesse" pic.twitter.com/V5ANf6OQVh
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) May 17, 2024
Elie Korchia, president of France’s Consistoire Central Jewish worshippers body, thanked police who had “avoided another anti-Semitic tragedy”.
En cette veille de chabbat, un individu armé qui voulait mettre le feu à la synagogue consistoriale de Rouen a été neutralisé par les policiers, qui étaient à proximité. Merci à nos forces de l'ordre qui ont évité un nouveau drame antisémite dans notre pays.
— Elie Korchia (@ElieKorchia) May 17, 2024
'Fighting anti-Semitism is defending the Republic', CRIF says
“Burning down a synagogue is wanting to intimidate all Jews,” said Yonathan Arfi, head of the CRIF, France’s umbrella group of Jewish organisations.
“Fighting anti-Semitism is defending the Republic,” he stressed.
Incendier une synagogue, c'est vouloir intimider tous les Juifs.
— Yonathan Arfi (@Yonathan_Arfi) May 17, 2024
Une nouvelle fois, on veut faire peser un climat de terreur sur les Juifs de notre pays.
Combattre l'antisémitisme, c'est défendre la République.
Merci aux forces de l'ordre pour leur intervention rapide. https://t.co/3Dxoy7g1qA
'Thoughts and full support to the Jewish community', Rouen mayor mays
Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, the mayor of Rouen, thanked emergency services and said he was on the scene of the fire. “Thoughts and full support to the Jewish community of Rouen,” he said.
Merci aux forces nationales, aux policiers municipaux, au SAMU, aux pompiers qui maîtrisent actuellement le départ de feu. Je suis sur place. A priori pas d'autres victimes que l'individu armé. Pensées et soutien total à la Communauté israélite de @Rouen . https://t.co/WTxZUFS4Ho
— Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol (@NicolasMayerNMR) May 17, 2024
French police shot dead armed man who set fire to synagogue
French police shot dead an armed man who set fire to Rouen’s synagogue, officials said this morning, Reuters reported.
The attacker was carrying a knife and iron bar, according to local authorities.
The fire had been brought under control, according to a Rouen city hall official.
À Rouen, les policiers nationaux ont neutralisé tôt ce matin un individu armé souhaitant manifestement mettre le feu à la synagogue de la ville. Je les félicite pour leur réactivité et leur courage.
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) May 17, 2024
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