French police have killed an armed man who wanted to set fire to a synagogue in the north-western city of Rouen, France's interior minister has said, Ednews reports citing BBC.

The man was armed with a knife and when he moved towards police they shot him, reports say.

Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignaol said the attack on the synagogue did not just affect the Jewish community, but the entire city was "battered and in shock".

Police were called at around 06:45 (05:45 GMT) after smoke was seen rising from the synagogue, according to local reports.

When they reached the scene one of the officers shot the man who was armed with a knife and an iron bar.

The mayor said firefighters were on scene working to control the outbreak of the fire at the synagogue. There appeared to be no victims other than the armed man, he added.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin praised police "for their responsiveness and courage ".

France, in common with the rest of Western Europe, has seen a surge in antisemitism since Hamas attacked southern Israel last October leading to the current war in Gaza.

Earlier this week a memorial in Paris that honours 3,900 men and women who helped rescue Jews during the Nazi occupation of France in World War Two was daubed with red-painted hands.

President Emmanuel Macron said defacing the wall undermined the memory of France's heroes and its victims of the Holocaust.