A police officer was injured in an explosion at a synagogue in southern France on Saturday morning, a gendarmerie spokesman said.
No one was injured in the synagogue of La Grande-Motte on the Mediterranean coast near Montpellier.
The spokesman for the gendarmerie, a branch of the armed forces responsible for internal security in certain areas, was initially unable to comment on the motive, including whether it was an anti-Semitic attack.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote on X that the attempt to set fire to the synagogue was “clearly criminal.” He assured “our Jewish fellow citizens” and the community of his full support.
Darmanin said all resources were being deployed to find the perpetrator.
Initially, two cars were set on fire outside the synagogue and a gas cylinder exploded in one of the vehicles. Two doors of the synagogue were also set on fire.
However, it is unclear whether this happened before or after the explosion.
