About 200 police officers had been hunting for the suspect, outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said Saturday.
The terrorist attacker had set fire to several entry doors to the synagogue and several cars nearby.
According to press reports, the suspect, a 33-year-old Algerian, was arrested in Nimes. No additional details were provided by police.
The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office was put in charge of the investigation.
“Before the police could intervene, the suspect opened fire on the (police), which returned fire. The man was wounded in the face,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement, adding that two other people were also arrested.
A policeman was slightly injured when a gas bottle exploded as police secured the site of the attack on Saturday morning.
“This is an antisemitic attack. Once more, our Jewish compatriots are targeted,” Attal said on X. “In the face of antisemitism, in the face of violence, we will never allow ourselves to be intimidated.”
After visiting the synagogue, Attal said an “absolute tragedy” had been narrowly averted after firefighters and police arrived quickly at the scene.
Local media reported earlier that the suspect had set fire to two cars, one of which contained at least one gas bottle, in the synagogue’s parking area at about 8:30 a.m.
Police protection of synagogues, and Jewish schools and shops will be stepped up across France.
France, like other countries in Europe, has seen a surge in antisemitic incidents following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza.
Le Parisien, franceinfo and other media said the suspect had been seen on CCTV shortly before the attack with a Palestinian flag tied round his waist.
“Exploding a gas bottle in a car in front of the Grande- Motte synagogue at the expected time of arrival of the faithful: it’s not just attacking a place of worship, it’s an attempt to kill Jews,” Yonathan Arfi, who heads Crif, the umbrella organisation of French Jewish groups, said on X.
Most of the Shabbat worshippers had not arrived yet when the explosion occurred. Only the rabbi and five people were inside the synagogue. No one was injured.
La Grande-Motte is a coast resort located near Montpellier.