An individual attempted to set fire to the door of the mosque in Saint-Martin-des-Champs, near Morlaix in the northwest of France, on Saturday while a prayer was taking place, according to the prefecture of Finistère and France’s Minister of the Interior.
Surveillance footage shows a man spraying the door of the mosque with a flammable substance before igniting it around 7:30 am. Worshippers then called firefighters.
The head of the prefecture, Alain Espinasse, strongly condemned in a statement the act of arson directed against a place of worship.
Minister of Interior Gérald Darmanin tweeted on “X” (formerly Twitter) on Saturday: “Support for Muslims in Finistère following the damage to the Morlaix mosque this morning. An investigation has been opened so that the perpetrator of these acts can be prosecuted.”
The extent of the damage inflicted upon the mosque or whether there were any injuries remains unknown.