Police fatally shot an armed man trying to set fire to a synagogue in Rouen, north-west France on Friday morning, according to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
Responding to reports of smoke near the synagogue at 06:45 am local time, officers arrived at the scene in this historic city of Normandy. A source from the police provided this information to AFP.
Rouen prosecutor, Frédéric Teillet, stated: "An individual set fire to the Rouen synagogue, subsequently confronting police and firefighters."
The assailant was reportedly armed with a knife and an iron bar, a source close to the case mentioned.
The man threatened a police officer with the knife, leading the officer to fire his weapon and kill the individual, the prosecutor further clarified.
An initial investigation was opened on the grounds of "deliberate arson" targeting a place of worship and "wilful violence on persons in charge of public authority", the prosecutors’ office announced.
A second investigation has commenced into the circumstances surrounding the assailant’s death.
The police have yet to identify the man who was shot.
The National Antiterrorist Prosecutor’s Office, when contacted by AFP, stated that they are assessing if they should take over the case.
