NEIS IN FRANCE: Terrorist Attempts Major Attack At Entrance To French Shul

A terrorist set fire to two cars outside the Beis Yaakov shul in the seaside resort of La Grande-Motte, near Montpellier in the south of France at about 8:30 a.m. Shabbos morning.

A gas canister hidden in one of the cars caused both cars to explode, igniting a fire and injuring a police officer.

Firefighters also found two other fires at two separate entrances to the shul. Fortunately, Shacharis has not yet started, and only the Rav and four others were in the shul at the time of the attack. None of them were injured.

The suspect was seen on security cameras wearing a Palestinian flag and holding a weapon.

The mayor of La Grande Motte, Stéphan Rossignol told France Info that “the suspect did not manage to get inside the synagogue, even though that was clearly his objective.”

Acting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that the suspect was very determined to cause casualties and that a preliminary elimination shows that “we have narrowly avoided a tragedy.”

He added that the attack is being investigated as a terror attack and that over 200 police officers are searching for the suspect. “Once again, French Jews have been targeted and attacked because of their beliefs,” he said. “We are outraged and repulsed.”

Yonathan Arfi, the head of the CRIF organization for French Jewry, stressed that the terrorist timed the attack during the Shabbos Shacharis davening. “This was not just an attack on a place of worship,” he stated. “This was an attempt to kill Jews. The use of a gas canister in a car at a time when worshippers are expected to arrive at the synagogue is not simply a criminal act.”

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin ordered security to be tightened at all Jewish places of worship.

French President Emmanuel Macron said, “Our thoughts are with the congregation at La Grande-Motte synagogue and all the Jews of our country. Everything is being done to find the perpetrator of this terrorist act and protect places of worship. The fight against antisemitism is a constant battle.”