Loaded weapons found in car near French synagogue prompt terror investigation

About 300 people were removed from businesses and public venues Saturday night while police secured Rue Henri Dunant.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

French counterterrorism authorities are investigating the discovery of a military-style firearm and a loaded handgun in a deserted car in Sarcelles, north of Paris, after intelligence officials raised concerns about a possible threat to the area’s Jewish community.

About 300 people were removed from businesses and public venues Saturday night while police secured Rue Henri Dunant and explosives specialists inspected the vehicle.

The alert began at about 9:30 p.m. and the security operation continued until shortly before midnight.

The search found no explosive devices. Officers instead recovered a rifle carrying seven rounds and a handgun loaded with 10 rounds, French reports said.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described one of the firearms as “a long firearm, a military-grade weapon.” He said authorities had not determined whether the weapons were connected to plans for an imminent attack.

“We simply don’t know,” Nuñez said.

Investigators are now trying to establish who was responsible for the vehicle and why the firearms and ammunition were inside it. No arrests had been announced, and officials have neither identified a motive nor concluded that an attack was in preparation.

The car was located within the general area of the Great Synagogue of Sarcelles, rather than directly in front of the Jewish house of worship, Nuñez said.

Because restaurants and entertainment sites are also nearby, authorities have not established whether any particular location was an intended target.

Sarcelles has one of France’s most prominent Jewish communities. Jewish-owned businesses in the suburb were attacked during antisemitic unrest in 2014.

The discovery comes during a period of persistently elevated antisemitism in France.

Interior Ministry figures documented 1,320 antisemitic acts in 2025. While that represented a 16% decrease from 2024, the number remained far above figures recorded before the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the Gaza war that followed.