France shooting: French police kill man said to be planning Rouen synagogue attack

France’s Interior Ministry has said police have shot and killed an armed suspect who appeared to be planning to set fire to a synagogue in the Normandy city of Rouen.

Interior minister Gerald Darmanin posted on the social media site X, formerly Twitter, that the armed individual was “neutralised” on Friday morning and thanked officers for their “reactivity and their courage”.

“In Rouen, national police officers neutralised early this morning an armed individual clearly wanting to set fire to the city’s synagogue. I congratulate them for their reactivity and their courage,” he said.

The ministry confirmed that the suspect was shot and killed. Tensions and anger have grown in France over the Israel-Hamas war. Antisemitic acts have surged in the country, which has the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in western Europe.