Police officers shot dead, this Friday, May 17 in the morning, a man armed with a knife who tried to set fire to a synagogue and threatened them in Rouen, in the north-west of France, announced the Minister of Justice. ‘Interior Gérald Darmanin. The suspect was subject to an “unenforceable” obligation to leave the territory, reports a source close to the case.
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Around 6:45 a.m. local time (4:45 a.m. UT), this Friday in Rouen, the police were “ intervened on a report of smoke release near the synagogue, located in the historic center of this town in Normandy », Detailed a police source. “ Someone set fire to the synagogue. He would have attacked the police and firefighters », For his part indicated the Rouen prosecutor, Frédéric Teillet.
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According to a source close to the case, the man was armed “ a knife and an iron bar “. “ Then, he allegedly threatened a police officer with a knife and the latter used his weapon and the individual died. », Specified the prosecutor. A first investigation was opened for “arson” targeting a place of worship and “intentional violence against persons holding public authority”, the prosecution said. Another investigation was opened into the circumstances of the death of the armed individual.
The man shot dead by the police was not immediately identified, a police source said. Asked by AFP, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office indicates that it is currently assessing whether it will take up the case. Many firefighters and police officers were deployed on site Friday morning, noted an AFP journalist.
Context of increase in anti-Semitic acts
According to the mayor of Rouen, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, the firefighters contained the outbreak of the fire on Friday morning and there would be ” no victims other than the armed individual “. “ Through this attack and this attempted fire to the Rouen synagogue, it is not only the Jewish community that is affected. The entire city of Rouen is bruised and in shock », Reacted the mayor on X.
“ Attempting to burn a synagogue means intimidating all Jews. Once again, we want to impose a climate of terror on the Jews of our country. Fighting anti-Semitism means defending the Republic », affirmed on X the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (Crif), Yonathan Arfi.
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Gérald Darmanin asked prefects on April 14 to strengthen security in front of Jewish places of worship as well as in front of religious schools, the day after the attack carried out by Iran against Israel. The military operations launched by the Jewish State against the Gaza Strip, in retaliation for the attack by Hamas fighters against Israel on October 7, have caused a sharp increase in acts of anti-Semitism in France.
At the beginning of May, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced that “ 366 anti-Semitic facts » had been recorded in France in the first quarter of 2024, i.e. “ an increase of 300% compared to the first three months of 2023 “.