The mysterious appearance of the blue stars on a seemingly random assortment of buildings last week sent a fresh bolt of concern through France, where tensions have mounted since Hamas’s attack on Israel. France is home to some of Europe’s largest Muslim and Jewish populations.
French prosecutors said Tuesday they are probing whether a person based abroad may be behind the graffiti, after police detained a man and a woman, born in Moldova, who were seen painting a blue Star of David on a building in Paris late last month. Prosecutors said they found a conversation, apparently in Russian, on the couple’s phone in which they were instructed to tag the star in exchange for a payment.