PARIS (AP) — France’s acting interior minister has ordered reinforcements for police to protect Jewish places of worship after a suspected arson attack Saturday at a synagogue in a southwestern Mediterranean city.
Two cars parked at the Beth Yaacov synagogue in the seaside resort of La Grande Motte near Montpellier were set on fire on Saturday morning, injuring a police officer, French media reported. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the synagogue at the time. There were no reports of other injuries.
Acting Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the incident was being treated as an “attempted arson” that was “clearly a criminal act.” One of the cars reportedly contained a propane gas tank, local media reported.
“I want to assure our Jewish fellow citizens of my full support and say that at the request of President Emmanuel Macron, all means are being deployed to find the perpetrator,” Darmanin said in a message on X. He ordered increased police presence at Jewish places of worship across the country after a increase in antisemitism since the beginning of the War between Israel and Hamas last year.
Darmanin is expected to travel to Le Grand Motte later on Saturday, along with France’s acting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
