The charges come after two cars were set on fire under a synagogue near La Grande-Motte, leading to an explosion just 30 minutes before Saturday’s service. A policeman was injured.
The main suspect is a 33-year-old man from Algeria who has legal residence in France, PNAT states. The suspect was arrested in Nîmes, which is around 45 kilometers northeast of La Grande-Motte.
A statement from PNAT states that the man was radicalized over several months and that he has long had “a hatred of Jews, particularly focused on the situation in Palestine”.
The prosecution states that the man acknowledged the facts of the case in the first court hearing, and that he “explained that he acted in solidarity with the cause of the Palestinian people, without wanting to kill anyone, but he acknowledged that he wanted to create fear”.
Another man is also charged with complicity in terrorism. According to the prosecution, the two must have discussed the plans. A third man is charged with having transported the assassin.
The 33-year-old was filmed by surveillance cameras near the synagogue as he attempted to start several fires on Saturday morning. The man did not enter the synagogue, where five people, including the rabbi, were staying.
Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) condemned the attack at the weekend and called it an anti-Semitic act.
#Terrorism #charge #arson #French #synagogue
2024-08-31 14:10:09