French police arrest suspect after synagogue blast

French police have arrested a suspect after an explosion in front of a synagogue in the southern city of La Grande-Motte, acting Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said early on Sunday.

The arrest in Nimes, 40 km (25 miles) from La Grande-Motte, a port and resort city on the French Mediterranean coast, comes after a manhunt reportedly involving 200 police officers and gendarmes.

In the incident on Saturday morning, two doors of the synagogue were set on fire along with two vehicles in front of the building. One policeman was injured when a gas bottle exploded in one of the vehicles as police secured the site of the attack, which occurred as faithful were about to arrive for worship on the Jewish sabbath.

Acting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Saturday that if the synagogue had been full at the time of the crime and people had come outside, there would likely have been fatalities.

What do we know about the arrest?

The anti-terrorism prosecutor's office, which was put in charge of the investigation, said a man suspected of carrying out the attack was arrested on Saturday evening.

"Before the police could intervene, (the suspect) opened fire on the (police), who returned fire. The man was wounded in the face," the office said in a statement.

Broadcaster BFM TV said the suspect was a 33-year-old Algerian, but local police declined to give details.

Rising antisemitism

France, like many other European countries, has seen a surge in antisemitic crime following the deadly attack on Israel on October 7 by Palestinian militants led by Hamas, and Israel's ensuing retaliatory offensive against the Islamist extremist group in the Gaza Strip.

Several French media outlets said the suspect had been seen on CCTV shortly before the attack with a Palestinian flag tied round his waist.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country would unite to fight the scourge of antisemitism.

"The fight against antisemitism is an ongoing battle, the fight of a united nation," Macron wrote on X, formerly Twitter.  

The government has said it will step up police protection of synagogues and Jewish schools across France in the wake of the attack.

tj( (Reuters, dpa)