The search for the fugitive perpetrator continues following the explosion in front of a synagogue in the south of France, according to acting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Saturday-
Almost 200 police officers and gendarmes have been deployed.
“We can assume that we have narrowly escaped an absolute tragedy,” said Attal.
Initial findings suggest that the perpetrator was very determined. If the synagogue had been full at the time of the crime and people had come outside, there would likely have been fatalities, he said.
He described the act as outrageous and pointed to the increasing number of anti-Semitic attacks in France.
His comments come after two doors of the synagogue were set on fire in the morning along with two vehicles in front of the building .
A gas bottle exploded in one of the vehicles, causing minor injuries to a police officer. The five people who were in the synagogue at the time were unharmed.
France’s anti-terror prosecutor’s office is investigating on suspicion of attempted murder with a terrorism connection, destruction with dangerous means and the formation of a terrorist organisation.
“Initial investigations suggest that the perpetrator was carrying a Palestinian flag and a weapon,” the prosecutor’s office stated.
