LA GRANDE-MOTTE, France — About 200 law enforcement officials hunted on Saturday for a person who attempted to set hearth to a synagogue within the southern French town of Los angeles Grande-Motte, High Minister Gabriel Attal mentioned, including that government could be ruthless with antisemitism.A policeman used to be somewhat injured when a fuel bottle exploded as police secured the website of the assault on Saturday morning, Attal mentioned.“The individual (attacker) set hearth to a number of access doorways to the synagogue and several other vehicles,” Attal mentioned after visiting the synagogue, including that an “absolute tragedy” have been narrowly avoided after firefighters and police arrived briefly on the scene.Native media reported previous that the suspect had set hearth to 2 vehicles, certainly one of which contained no less than one fuel bottle, within the synagogue’s parking space at about 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT).President Emmanuel Macron known as the incident a terrorist assault. The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s administrative center used to be positioned accountable for the investigation.Police coverage of synagogues, and Jewish colleges and retail outlets could be stepped up throughout France, the federal government mentioned.France, like different international locations in Europe, has observed a surge in antisemitic incidents following the Hamas assaults on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel’s retaliatory attack on Gaza.Le Parisien, franceinfo and different media mentioned the suspect have been observed on CCTV in a while ahead of the assault with a Palestinian flag tied spherical his waist.“That is an antisemitic assault. All over again, our Jewish compatriots are focused,” Attal wrote previous on X. “Within the face of antisemitism, within the face of violence, we can by no means permit ourselves to be intimidated.”Police declined to present extra main points.“Exploding a fuel bottle in a automobile in entrance of the Grande Motte synagogue on the anticipated time of arrival of the devoted: it’s now not simply attacking a spot of worship, it’s an try to kill Jews,” Yonathan Arfi, who leads the CRIF, an umbrella organisation of French Jewish teams, mentioned on X.Los angeles Grande-Motte is a port and hotel town at the French Mediterranean coast.
