Jewish man who stormed Paris synagogue dressed as jihadist detained by police
The man in his 40s, wearing a djellaba – a loose-fitting Moroccan robe, and carrying toy Kalashnikov rifles, entered the Chabad.
By JTAUpdated: MARCH 29, 2016 20:43La synagogue de la rue de la Roquette à Paris sous haute surveillance(photo credit: REUTERS)
A Jewish man who stormed a Paris synagogue dressed as a jihadist and shouting “Allahu Akbar” was summoned to the police to explain his actions.The man in his 40s, wearing a djellaba – a loose-fitting Moroccan robe, and carrying toy Kalashnikov rifles, entered the Chabad Lubavitch synagogue in Vincennes, an eastern Paris suburb on Thursday, when the Purim holiday was celebrated. It is traditional on Purim to dress in costume.He was called to a police hearing on Friday, and was later released without charge, Le Figaro reported.“I wanted to lighten the mood, I think I made a big mistake,” he told another Paris-based paper. Purim is a special party where you can let go and drink. I had an Arab costume with a red and white headscarf and a Kalashnikov. Arriving at the synagogue, I told the soldiers that it was a fake. I laughed with them. I shouted Allah Akbar.’ The appearance rattled the security guards at the synagogue, according to reports.The incident occurred two days after suicide bombers affiliated with Islamic State killed at least 34 people in attacks at Brussels Airport and a metro station in the center of the Belgian capital. It also occurred nearly a week after three Israelis were killed in an attack in Istanbul after their travel group allegedly was targeted.
