French Jews kidnapped, beaten in suspected hate attack

Members of a French Jewish family were tied up, brutally beaten and robbed on Thursday night in their home in the suburb of Livry-Gargan northeast of Paris, French authorities say.

Prosecutors say the robbery investigation will expand into an investigation of an alleged racist motive, as well as kidnapping and extortion.

In a statement, CRIF, the umbrella French Jewish community organization, says it “powerfully condemns this extremely violent anti-Semitic aggression.”

The aggressors reportedly told their victims: “You are Jewish, you have money, I am here to take money from the Jews to give it to the poor,” according to the BNCVA news agency.