The French government will award a medal Friday morning to the police officer who shot and killed an Algerian immigrant who had been ordered to leave the country and had been setting fire to a synagogue several years earlier.
A 29-year-old Algerian immigrant was shot dead by police early this morning, armed with a 10-inch knife. A man is said to have climbed onto the roof of a synagogue in the northern French city of Rouen, smashed a window and threw an incendiary device.
Prosecutor Frédéric Teillet said: Hit le figaroPolice responded to a public report of smoke coming from the building, and when they arrived they saw a man holding a knife and chisel on the wall of the building, calling for them to come down. Instead, the man insulted the officers and threw a chisel at them.
French Minister of the Interior and Foreign Affairs Gerald Darmanin speaks to the press outside a synagogue in the city of Rouen in the Normandy region on May 17, 2024. There, French police earlier shot dead a man armed with a knife and crowbar as he tried to set the church on fire. building. Prosecutors said two separate investigations have been opened into the fire at the synagogue and the circumstances of the deaths of the individuals killed by police. He added that the man threatened the officer with a knife and the officer used his service weapon. (Photo by Lou Benoist/AFP) (Photo by Lou Benoist/AFP via Getty Images)
During the clash, the officers were forced to back up and one of them, sensing danger, fired five shots, four of which hit the Algerian. He received first aid but died at the scene.
Following standard procedure, the officer who used the gun was detained until the shooting was determined to be justified. Nevertheless, the French interior minister clarified the government’s position on the matter, saying that the police officer who fired the shot would be awarded a national medal for his “extremely brave and extremely professional” actions.
The motive is still under investigation, but prosecutors are considering “religious arson…deliberate violence against a person with public authority.”
Elie Corchia, president of the French Jewish organization Consistoire Central, wrote about the attack and thanked the police for preventing a bigger tragedy. “On the eve of this Sabbath, an armed group attempting to set fire to a church in Rouen was suppressed by nearby police. We thank law enforcement for averting another anti-Semitic tragedy in our country,” he said. To do.”
The mayor of Rouen, Nicolas Meyer-Rossignol, said: “The attempted arson attack on the synagogue… it is not just the Israeli community that has been affected. The whole city is hurt and shocked.” called for a gathering.
Anti-Semitic acts spike in Belgium and France since Hamas attack https://t.co/9eZDEHOv3u
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The suspect, a 29-year-old Algerian immigrant, had been given an OQTF, or “obligation to leave France,” or departure order after his request for leave to remain in 2022 was rejected. He was never in the country to launch an attack. French police, quoted in national media reports, said the man was not on any extremist or terrorist watch list.
The synagogue suffered “significant” fire damage, but fortunately no one else was injured. jerusalem post quoted Rabbi Shmuel Lubecki of Rouen said police had not yet allowed access to the synagogue to assess the damage, but said there was apparently no damage to the holy books. he said: “I have not touched the Torah scroll at all. It is the most important thing in the synagogue.”
Levels of anti-Semitic attacks have soared in many European countries, including France, since Hamas launched deadly terrorist attacks against Israel last year. As we noted earlier this year, data from the Home Office and community organizations shows that recorded attacks have increased by 280 per cent year-on-year, with the number of attacks in the three months since October 7th being higher than last year’s attacks. It is said that the number of cases is comparable. Total for the past 3 years.
