A man allegedly trying to set fire to a synagogue in northern France was shot and killed by police on Friday, according to French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
Officers in Rouen «responded to a report of smoke near the synagogue,» a police source said.
«The man was armed with a knife and an iron bar, he approached the police officers who fired,» a source close to the case told AFP.
He died at the scene, they said.
«In Rouen, national police officers neutralised an armed individual early this morning who was clearly intent on setting fire to the town’s synagogue,» wrote Darmanin on X.
«I congratulate them on their responsiveness and courage.»
Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignaol said the attack on the synagogue did not just affect the Jewish community, but the entire city was in shock.
Against the backdrop of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza and rising tensions in the Middle East, France has raised its terror alert to the highest level.
France has the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in western Europe, according to AP.
Rouen has been shaken by violence in recent days.
Gunman on Tuesday killed two officers in an ambush on a prison van, freeing prisoner Mohamed Amra who remains at large.
Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as more information becomes available.
