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. A suspect caught on a surveillance camera after an explosion that injured a police officer near a synagogue in southern France Saturday was brandishing a Palestinian flag, a source close to the probe said.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin called the incident near the Beth Yaacov synagogue in La Motte near Montpellier on the southern French coast "an obviously criminal act". He said "all means are being deployed to find the perpetrator".
"This is an antisemitic attack. Once more, our Jewish compatriots are targeted," Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on X, adding: "We won't give up. In the face of anti-Semitism, in the face of violence, we will never allow ourselves to be intimidated."
Both Darmanin and Attal were to travel to the site of the explosion later Saturday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said all efforts were being made to protect places of worship.
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 is 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.