A 33-year-old man is facing terrorism charges for an arson attack on a French synagogue this past weekend, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
The suspect claimed the attack was intended to defend Palestinian Arabs and influence Israeli policy, prosecutors said.
The suspect set multiple fires around the Beth Yaacov synagogue in La Grande Motte this past Saturday, injuring a police officer in the process.
Identified only by his initials, EHK, the suspect fled the scene but was later apprehended. During his arrest, he sustained injuries to his thorax, arm, and face, France's national counterterrorism prosecutor's office said.
EHK, an Algerian national with French residency, appeared before a judge on Wednesday, according to AP. Prosecutors are pursuing preliminary terrorism charges against him, including attempted murder, arson motivated by race or religion, and armed violence against police.
Two other individuals suspected of aiding him are also facing possible charges.
During interrogation, the suspect admitted to the attack, claiming he acted to support the Palestinian Arab cause and provoke a response from Israeli authorities. He stated that he did not intend to kill anyone but wanted to instill fear.
Prosecutors noted that EHK had recently become more radical in his religious beliefs, as evidenced by his social media posts and police questioning.
He had expressed a desire to fight in Gaza and "has for a long time nursed a hatred toward Jews, specifically focused on the situation in Palestine," the statement said.
France has seen a dramatic increase in incidents of antisemitism since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.
Last month, MK Sharren Haskel revealed that her 88-year-old grandmother was violently attacked in France after she was seen wearing a Star of David necklace.
In June, a 12-year-old Jewish girl was raped in a park in the Paris suburbs. Two 13-year-old boys have been charged with rape and making antisemitic insults.
Before that, vandals painted dozens of blood-red hands on the Wall of the Righteous, a memorial for the French citizens who risked their lives to save Jews during the Second World War, at the Mémorial de la Shoah Holocaust museum in Paris.
In early August, France ordered additional security measures at Jewish sites across the country, saying there was danger of revenge attacks after the elimination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.