French Police Kill Armed Man Trying To 'Burn Synagogue'

Paris: French police shot dead an armed suspect who appeared to be planning to set fire to a synagogue in the Normandy city of Rouen early on Friday, France's Interior Ministry said. The man was reportedly armed with a knife and an iron bar as he moved towards police, they shot him. The ministry confirmed that the suspect was shot and killed. It gave no other immediate details.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin posted on the social media site X that the armed individual was “neutralized.” “In Rouen, national police officers neutralized early this morning an armed individual clearly wanting to set fire to the city’s synagogue. I congratulate them for their reactivity and their courage,” he said.

Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignaol said the attack on the synagogue did not just affect the Jewish community, but the entire city was "battered and in shock". The mayor said firefighters were on scene working to control the outbreak of the fire at the synagogue. There appeared to be no victims other than the armed man, he added.

The development comes at a time when tensions and anger have grown in France over the Israel-Hamas war. Antisemitic acts have surged in the country, which has the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in western Europe.