French authorities have launched a terrorism investigation following the discovery in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood
At least 300 people were evacuated from a Paris suburb after weapons were found in a vehicle near a synagogue.
The suspicious vehicle was discovered on Saturday evening in the busy suburb of Sarcelles, north of the capital, which is home to one of the country’s largest Jewish communities. Police established a security cordon around the area, which includes a cinema and several restaurants, and evacuated nearby premises.
AFP, citing police sources, said officers recovered an assault rifle and a handgun from the stolen vehicle. Bomb disposal experts found no explosives.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the rifle as a “military-grade weapon,” adding that it had been found near a synagogue in the Val-d’Oise department.
“We do not yet know the motives,” he said, adding that no arrests had been made.
The French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into suspected participation in a “terrorist criminal organization” and preparations for a violent attack.
France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish population, has recorded a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents since the start of the Gaza War in October 2023.
Nunez noted that police had foiled three plots targeting the Jewish community this year alone, including a knife attack on a gendarme beneath the Arc de Triomphe in February.
The country recorded 1,320 anti-Semitic acts last year, triple the number recorded three years earlier. Such incidents accounted for more than half of all anti-religious offenses, despite Jews making up less than 1% of the French population.
In August 2024, an explosion outside a synagogue in the southern city of La Grande-Motte injured a police officer after two vehicles and the building’s doors were set on fire. A suspect was later arrested following a large-scale manhunt.
Speaking on Sunday at the unveiling of a statue honoring Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish army officer falsely convicted of treason in late 19th-century France, French President Emmanuel Macron warned of the resurgence of the “demons of anti-Semitism.”
9 thoughts on “Hundreds evacuated after ‘military-grade’ weapon found near Paris synagogue”
Considering at least 300 people were evacuated from a Paris suburb after weapons were found in a vehicle near a synagogue, it raises some real questions about what happens next.
On one hand french authorities have launched a terrorism investigation following the discovery in a predominantly Jewish. But at the same time at least 300 people were evacuated from a Paris suburb after weapons were found in a vehicle near a synagogue.
If french authorities have launched a terrorism investigation following the discovery in a predominantly Jewish, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
When you look at the suspicious vehicle was discovered on Saturday evening in the busy suburb of Sarcelles, north of the capital, which is home to one of the country’s largest Jewish communities, the implications are hard to ignore.
In other words aFP, citing police sources, said officers recovered an assault rifle and a handgun from the stolen vehicle. Curious to see how this develops.
In other words interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the rifle as a “military-grade weapon,” adding that it had been found near a synagogue in the Val-d’Oise department. Curious to see how this develops.
The fact that aFP, citing police sources, said officers recovered an assault rifle and a handgun from the stolen vehicle really puts things into perspective.
Considering at least 300 people were evacuated from a Paris suburb after weapons were found in a vehicle near a synagogue, it raises some real questions about what happens next.
Still waiting to hear what National Anti actually plans to do about it.
On one hand french authorities have launched a terrorism investigation following the discovery in a predominantly Jewish. But at the same time at least 300 people were evacuated from a Paris suburb after weapons were found in a vehicle near a synagogue.
If french authorities have launched a terrorism investigation following the discovery in a predominantly Jewish, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
When you look at the suspicious vehicle was discovered on Saturday evening in the busy suburb of Sarcelles, north of the capital, which is home to one of the country’s largest Jewish communities, the implications are hard to ignore.
In other words aFP, citing police sources, said officers recovered an assault rifle and a handgun from the stolen vehicle. Curious to see how this develops.
Terrorism Prosecutor is in a tough spot here, curious how they navigate it.
In other words interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the rifle as a “military-grade weapon,” adding that it had been found near a synagogue in the Val-d’Oise department. Curious to see how this develops.
The fact that aFP, citing police sources, said officers recovered an assault rifle and a handgun from the stolen vehicle really puts things into perspective.