A terrorism suspect accused of attacking a synagogue in France was arrested tonight after a shootout with police.
The 33-year-old, whose name has not been released, was “seriously injured” before being arrested on the top floor of a social housing unit in the city of Nîmes on Saturday evening.
About 200 police officers were hunting for the suspect, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said earlier, adding that the attacker had set fire to several entrance doors to the synagogue and several nearby cars.
About 30 miles (48 kilometers) away, in the southern resort of La Grande-Motte, the Algerian is said to have caused an explosion in a parked car and set fire to the doors of the Beth Yaacov synagogue.
Surveillance footage reportedly showed him at around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday with a Palestinian flag around his waist, carrying out what President Emmanuel Macron called an “act of terrorism.”
A police officer was injured in an explosion caused by the man, but people in the synagogue were unharmed.
“This is an anti-Semitic attack. Once again, our Jewish compatriots are being targeted,” Attal said on X. “In the face of anti-Semitism, in the face of violence, we will never be intimidated.”
After visiting the synagogue, Attal said an “absolute tragedy” was narrowly averted as firefighters and police arrived quickly on the scene.
CCTV footage is said to show the man at around 8:30am on Saturday with a Palestinian flag around his waist
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin stands in front of the city’s synagogue
On Saturday, two cars were set on fire at a synagogue in France, in what is being seen as terrorism (Pictured: The fire at the synagogue)
Firefighters, police and the Gendermerie arrived at the scene of the Beth Yaacov synagogue in La Grande-Motte at around 8:40 a.m. local time (pictured: smoke rising into the air)
Counter-terrorism specialist judges linked the attack to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has left thousands of people dead.
Around 200 police officers were involved in the manhunt and at around 11.30pm on Saturday evening, special units from the RAID (Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence) entered the apartment building in Nîmes.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced on X: ‘The alleged perpetrator of the arson attack on the synagogue has been arrested.
‘Thanks to the police, and especially the RAID, who intervened with great professionalism despite the gunfire.’
A source involved in the operation confirmed the suspect was ‘seriously injured’ before being taken to a secure hospital. There were no reports of injuries including those reported.
According to Stephan Rossignol, mayor of La Grande Motte, CCTV captured images of an unknown man setting fire to cars outside the synagogue in La Grande Motte.
The potential suspect seen in the footage is said to be “waving a Palestinian flag.”
Police sources also claim that the man had a gun with him.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin (pictured) described the incident as a “clear criminal attack”
Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), described the attack as “an attempt to kill Jews.”
He said a gas cylinder had been detonated “in front of the La Grande-Motte synagogue, at the expected time of arrival of the faithful.”
The French government has regularly condemned the rise in anti-Semitic acts as Israel carries out attacks on Gaza and the West Bank in occupied Palestine.
Since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, which killed some 1,200 Israelis, more than 40,000 Palestinians, including thousands of women and children, have been killed and many more injured.
According to a spokesman for the French Interior Ministry, anti-Semitic acts in France have almost tripled since the beginning of the conflict, with “887 incidents” recorded in the first half of this year.
Hussein Bourgi, a Socialist senator in the Herault department, where La Grande-Motte is located, said: “I would like to express my full solidarity with the Jewish community of La Grande-Motte.”
In May, an Algerian immigrant living illegally in France was shot dead by police after throwing a Molotov cocktail through the window of a synagogue.
Yonathan Arfi, the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), described it as “an attempt to kill Jews”
A gendarmerie officer stands guard after cars were set on fire in front of the city’s synagogue,
The 29-year-old was shot four times by a police officer who fired his service weapon five times outside the building in Rouen, the capital of Normandy.
A judicial investigation has been opened into ‘arson with anti-religious motives’ and ‘deliberate violence against persons holding public office’. This investigation is still ongoing.
In Paris, a Holocaust memorial was defaced with red hands, apparently in reference to the rising number of civilian casualties in Gaza and the West Bank in May. Paris Mayor Ann Hidalgo called it “scandalous.”