French synagogue attacker who ‘long nursed hatred toward Jews’ faces terror charges
Prosecutors say suspect researched Jewish holidays and Shabbat customs before Saturday’s attack, told acquaintances he wanted to fight in Gaza
PARIS, France — A 33-year-old man who for a “long time nursed a hatred toward Jews” has faced terrorism charges over an arson attack on a French synagogue last weekend, prosecutors said Wednesday.
A police officer was injured after the suspect set multiple fires around the Beth Yaacov synagogue Saturday in the Mediterranean resort town of La Grande Motte.
The suspect, identified by prosecutors only by his initials EHK, fled the scene, but was later arrested. He was injured in the thorax, arm, and face during the arrest, France’s national counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
EHK, an Algerian with French residency, was presented to a judge Wednesday.
The attack revived concerns about antisemitism in France, which has skyrocketed since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas triggered the Gaza war with its cross-border massacre on Israel on October 7, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were murdered and 251 were taken hostage, leading to heightened security at Jewish places of worship around the country.
Prosecutors said they are seeking preliminary terrorism charges against him including attempted murder and arson committed for reasons of race or religion, as well as armed violence against police. Two other people suspected of providing him help are also facing potential charges.
Under questioning, the suspect admitted to staging the attack, and told investigators that he acted to support the Palestinian cause and make Israeli authorities react, the statement said. He said he did not have any homicidal intent, but wanted to scare people.
Based on questioning by police and his social media posts, EHK appears to have become more radical in his religious beliefs in recent months, and told acquaintances that he wanted to go fight in Gaza, prosecutors said. He also ”has for a long time nursed a hatred toward Jews, specifically focused on the situation in Palestine,” the statement added.
In recent weeks, he purchased a firearm and conducted internet searches about synagogues in the region, Jewish festivals, and Shabbat practices, according to the statement.
He went alone to the Beth Yaacov synagogue Saturday with a handgun, several plastic bottles full of fuel, and an axe upon which he had written statements about Palestine, Gaza, and Muslim blood, prosecutors said.
They asked for him to be jailed, pending further investigation.
“Once again, French Jews have been targeted and attacked because of their beliefs,” caretaker Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said, after visiting La Grand Motte. “We are outraged and repulsed.”
France is home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States, as well as to the largest Muslim community in the European Union.
