Rouen synagogue attack: Algerian under OQTF, knife and iron bar, attempted arson… what we know about the tragedy

This Friday morning, police officers shot and killed a man armed with a knife who tried to set fire to the synagogue in Rouen and threatened them, announced Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. Here’s what we know.

What happened

Around 6:45 a.m., police “intervened to a report of smoke near the synagogue,” located on rue des Bons enfants in the historic center of Rouen, a police source detailed.

“An individual set fire to a synagogue in Rouen. He allegedly attacked police and firefighters,” Rouen prosecutor Frédéric Teillet said. “Then he allegedly threatened the policeman with a knife, who used his weapon and the person died,” said the prosecutor.

According to the police version, the national police at the scene saw “a person standing on the surrounding wall of the synagogue, carrying an iron rod and a 25-centimeter knife. He swung the knife and walked towards the officers who fired.

What we know about the suspect

The man who was killed by the police is Algerian. He was subject to an obligation to leave the territory (OQTF), “unenforceable”, a source close to the case said. This measure was imposed on him “for less than a year”, but it could not be carried out because the man “initiated an appeal before the administrative courts”, this source said.

What we know about the officer who shot

Gérald Darmanin, who left for Rouen in the early afternoon, announced that the policeman who shot was a young 25-year-old civil servant who would be decorated for his actions.

Two open investigations

The first investigation was opened into the “arson” of the place of worship, “intentional violence against persons exercising public authority” entrusted to the DGPN, the prosecutor’s office announced. Another investigation was opened into the circumstances of the death of an armed person due to “intentional violence with a weapon that led to death without the intention of causing it”, entrusted to the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN).

Jewish community “upset”

“It’s fear, it’s absolute shock,” reacted the mayor of Rouen, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, who arrived at the scene early in the morning.

“The community is upset and unfortunately, it can happen to us,” said Rabbi Chmouel Lubecki, referring to the rise in anti-Semitic acts. He specified that almost 150 to 200 families make up the Jewish community of the Norman city. The interior of the building suffered damage: “Furniture, walls, everything is black, it’s catastrophic,” said the president of the Jewish community of Rouen.

“The attempt to burn the synagogue is once again an attempt to intimidate the Jews in our country. The fight against anti-Semitism means the defense of the Republic,” said President X Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (Crif) Yonathan Arfi.