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Europe|French Authorities Arrest Suspect in Synagogue Attack
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/25/world/europe/france-synagogue-arrest.html
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Antiterrorism prosecutors said officers had taken a man into custody in connection with a blast outside a synagogue in the southern French resort of La Grande Motte.
Aug. 25, 2024Updated 6:00 p.m. ET
A suspect who has an arrest record for minor crimes but was not on the radar of French or foreign antiterrorism authorities has been detained in connection with Saturday morning’s attack on a synagogue in southern France, which is being investigated as a terrorist act, French authorities said on Sunday.
The arrest occurred in Nimes, about 24 miles from the scene of the attack, the Beth Yaacov synagogue in the resort town of La Grande Motte, France’s antiterrorism prosecutor’s office said early Sunday in a statement. Two vehicles exploded outside the synagogue, and the doors to the building were also set on fire, the statement said.
Five people, including the rabbi, were inside the synagogue at the time. No one was killed, but one police officer responding to the explosions was hurt when a gas bottle near one of the vehicles also exploded, the statement said.
The suspect, who was caught on video surveillance, hid with a hatchet after setting the fire, Gérald Darmanin, France’s interior minister, said in a television interview. He added that the suspect appeared to be waiting for people to leave the synagogue before police arrived.
The suspect and law enforcement traded gunfire during the arrest, which occurred about 11:30 p.m. Saturday, and the suspect was wounded in the face, according to the prosecutor’s office. Two other people were also taken into custody, whom the prosecutor’s office referred to as the suspect’s “entourage,” without providing additional details.
Mr. Darmanin said police officers responded to the scene in less than two minutes because they had just finished a patrol near the synagogue, which, like many Jewish institutions around France, is under heightened protection because of persistent fears of antisemitic attacks.
