A man was shot dead by police while trying to “set fire to a synagogue” in Rouen, France, this Friday.
Le Figaro reported that police arrived at the scene at around 6.45am (5.45am in mainland Portugal), alerted after smoke was seen coming from the religious building.
Armed with a knife and an iron bar, the man advanced towards the responding police officers, one of whom shot him dead with his firearm.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin reported the incident on X (formerly Twitter). “National Police officers neutralized an armed individual who was clearly trying to set fire to the town’s synagogue. I congratulate them on their responsiveness and courage,” he wrote.
The mayor of Rouen, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, reported that there were no other victims of the incident. The fire department, for their part, have taken on the task of controlling the fire at the place of worship, Mayer-Rossignol added on X (formerly Twitter).
Two investigations have been launched by the Rouen Public Prosecutor’s Office: “One into arson against a place of worship and intentional violence against public officials, and a second into the circumstances of the individual’s death,” explained prosecutor Frédéric Teillet to the France-Presse agency (AFP). The General Directorate of the National Police (DGPN) and the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) are responsible for the inquiries, respectively.
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