Arson Attack on Synagogue in France, Authorities Search for Suspect: ‘The Fight Against Anti-Semitism is a Constant Battle’

Authorities are searching for a suspect after an arson attack at a synagogue in a southwestern Mediterranean town in France injured a police officer.

Two cars parked in front of the Beth Yaacov synagogue in La Grande Motte, a seaside resort near Montpellier, were set on fire shortly after 8 a.m. local time on Saturday, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Firefighters discovered additional fires at two entrances to the synagogue.

A police officer who responded to the scene was injured after a propane gas tank exploded in one of the vehicles, authorities said.

Five people, including the synagogue’s rabbi, were present in the complex at the time of the attack. They were all unharmed, the prosecutor’s office said.

The attack is being investigated as attempted murder linked to a terrorist group, prosecutors said. Authorities are also investigating a crime planned by a terrorist group with the intent to cause damage and the destruction of property by dangerous means.

President Emmanuel Macron called the attack a “terrorist attack” and said a manhunt was underway for the perpetrator. French media reported that a suspect was seen on CCTV shortly before the attack with a Palestinian flag tied around his waist, Reuters reported.

“The fight against anti-Semitism is a constant battle,” Macron said on social media.

Interim Prime Minister Gabriel Attal called the attack an “act of anti-Semitism.”

“Once again, our Jewish fellow citizens are being targeted,” Attal said on social media. “In the face of anti-Semitism, in the face of violence, we will never let ourselves be intimidated.”

Interim Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has ordered police reinforcements to protect Jewish places of worship.

“I would like to assure our Jewish fellow citizens of my full support and to say that at the request of President Emmanuel Macron, all means are being mobilized to find the perpetrator of these acts,” declared Mr. Darmanin.

He ordered more police to be deployed to Jewish places of worship across the country. Heightened protection has already been put in place at some locations following a rise in anti-Semitism since the start of the war. War between Israel and Hamas last year.

Darmanin and Attal were due to travel to La Grand Motte later on Saturday.