An individual “obviously wishing to set fire to the synagogue” in Rouen was shot dead by the police this Friday, May 17. Two investigations were opened.
An attempted anti-Semitic attack in Rouen? This Friday, May 17, the police “neutralized” an “armed individual obviously wishing to set fire to the city’s synagogue” indicated the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, in a message posted on took place early in the morning, around 6:30 a.m. The police intervened on the spot after being warned of a fire breaking out near the place of worship. The anti-Semitic character must still be clearly established, but according to the mayor of Rouen, who leaves it to the courts to decide, believes that the facts are “fairly clear” on franceinfo.
The suspect was seen on site attempting to burn down the synagogue. Armed with “a knife and an iron bar” according to a source close to the AFP investigation, he was arrested by the police. The man allegedly attempted to attack a member of law enforcement and died after being hit by a police officer’s return fire. The police were congratulated by the Minister of the Interior for “their responsiveness and courage”.
Two investigations were opened. The first for arson targeting a place of worship and for intentional violence against persons holding public authority was entrusted to the General Directorate of the National Police (DGPN) according to prosecutor Frédéric Teillet. The second concerns the circumstances of the death of the individual and was entrusted to the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN), according to the same source. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat) indicates that it is currently assessing whether it will take up the case.
No other victims have been reported according to the mayor of Rouen, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol. But the synagogue has material damage according to Natacha Ben Haïm, president of the Jewish community of Rouen, who said she was “disappointed” and regretted a catastrophic event to BFMTV. “A lot of furniture” was affected and “everything is black” on certain walls of the building, according to her.
The president of the Central Consistory of France, Elie Korchia, reacted to the events and thanked the police on X who made it possible to avoid “a new anti-Semitic drama in our country”. The mayor of Rouen, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol (PS) also reacted and believes that “through this attack and this attempted fire to the Rouen synagogue, it is not only the Jewish community that is affected. C “The entire city of Rouen is bruised and in shock.” The councilor sent his “thoughts and full support to the Israelite community.”
