Synagogue bombing in France leaves at least one policeman injured

An explosion followed by a fire erupted at a synagogue in France, according to local media and authorities on Saturday. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed the incident was a terrorist attack and announced that law enforcement is actively pursuing the perpetrators.

In the synagogue attack, a policeman sustained injuries from the explosion. According to Le Figaro, the assailants left two vehicles outside the targeted synagogue, one of which contained gas canisters. The vehicles were ignited, leading to the explosion.

The site of the attack was the Beth Yaacov synagogue in the municipality of La Grande-Motte, in the coastal department of Hérault and close to the metropolis of Montpellier.

The injured municipal policeman was rushed to Montpellier emergency care. According to the mayor of La Grande-Motte, Stéphane Rossignol, city surveillance cameras captured images of an individual setting fire to vehicles in front of the synagogue.

It is commonplace in France for synagogues and other places of worship to have police presence around them, due to the growing number of anti-Semitic attacks in the country that is home to Europe's largest Jewish community.

The acting Prime Minister, Gabrial Attal, announced that he will go to the scene in the company of the Minister of the Interior, as well as local authorities and regional government delegates in the area.

The French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, asked this Saturday all prefects -delegates of the central government with police powers in the regions- to "immediately reinforce the static presence of the forces of order in front of Jewish places of worship."

For his part, the president of theRepresentative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (Crif), Yonathan Arfi, denounced "in the strongest terms an attempt to murder Jews" following the explosion and fire at La Grande-Motte.