PARIS, France (AFP) – A 40-year-old Jewish man tempted fate by walking into a Paris synagogue dressed as a jihadist, carrying a fake rifle and shouting “Allahu Akbar”, a police source said Friday.
The incident happened on Thursday evening when members of the synagogue were celebrating the festival of Purim, during which followers often dress up in costumes and give each other presents.
The source said the man arrived wearing long North African robes, carrying a fake Kalashnikov and crying “Allahu akbar”, Arabic for “God is greatest”.
“It created a certain emotion among the soldiers,” a source said.
The initial shock passed quickly when members of the synagogue realised they knew the man, and that it was only a joke.
He was nonetheless ordered to present himself at his local police station on Friday.
Soldiers have been posted outside many Jewish buildings and other sensitive locations around France in the wake of deadly jihadist attacks last year.
