French police have discovered a "military-grade weapon" in a suspicious car parked in Sarcelles, a northern Paris suburb with a large Jewish population. The vehicle was found near a synagogue, prompting an anti-terror investigation.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed the weapon was military-grade, but said no explosives were found and no arrests have been made. The motive remains unclear.

The anti-terror prosecutor's office opened an investigation on Sunday on charges of "forming a terrorist criminal organization with a view to preparing crimes involving attacks on persons and the transport, possession and acquisition of weapons in connection with a terrorist enterprise."

The discovery led to the evacuation of around 300 people, local media reported. AFP cited a police source saying an assault-style rifle and a handgun were recovered.

France, home to Europe's largest Jewish population, has seen a surge in antisemitic crimes since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. This year, police have foiled three planned attacks on the Jewish community, Nunez said.

Last year, the country recorded 1,320 antisemitic acts, a tripling in three years. These acts made up over half of all anti-religious incidents, even though Jews make up less than 1% of the French population.

President Emmanuel Macron criticized the rising "old demons" of antisemitism in a speech Sunday, as he unveiled a statue honoring Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Dreyfus, a Jewish officer wrongly convicted of treason in the 19th century, was later exonerated, highlighting deep-rooted anti-Jewish bias in France.

Source: www.dw.com