[News] Tunisia Synagogue Attack: Death Toll Reaches 3, 9 Injured

[The GodFather]

 

 

Rabat - A Tunisian naval guard killed his colleague using his personal weapon, then opened fire randomly, killing two other people, including a French and a Tunisian national, near a synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba on Tuesday, May 9.

Tunisia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement highlighting that the two victims among the visitors are a 30-year-old Tunisian and a 42-year-old French national.

The incident resulted in the injuries of six security agents, one of whom died, as well as the deaths of two visitors and the injuries of four other people, who were taken to the hospital for treatment.

According to the Times of Israel, the victims among the worshipers were identified as “Aviel Hadad, a 30-year-old dual citizen of Tunisia and Israel living in Netivot, Israel, and his 42-year-old cousin, Benjamin Haddad, a French-Jewish businessman living in France.”

The Tunisian Interior Ministry explained that the attacker is a guard at the National Guard naval center in the port town of Aghir on Djerba. 

The assailant killed his colleague with his personal weapon and took his ammunition, the ministry explained.

 

The attacker then attempted to enter El Ghriba Synagogue and opened fire on the security units stationed there, who returned fire, preventing him from entering the synagogue and killing him. 

The ministry said that an investigation is ongoing to determine the reasons for the attack.

France condemned the attack, stressing the need to fight against antisemitism.

“We were shocked by the attack on the Ghriba Synagogue. We grieve for the victims, the Tunisians, and our friends,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.  “ We stand in solidarity with the family of our murdered compatriot. Always and relentlessly, we will fight against antisemitism.”

L’attaque contre la synagogue de la Ghriba nous bouleverse. Nous pensons avec douleur aux victimes, au peuple tunisien, nos amis. Nous sommes aux côtés de la famille de notre compatriote assassiné. Toujours, sans relâche, nous lutterons contre la haine antisémite.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 10, 2023
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also took to Twitter to condemn the attack, saying: “The United States deplores the attack in Tunisia coinciding with the annual Jewish pilgrimage that draws faithful to the El Ghriba Synagogue from around the world.”

He continued, “We express condolences to the Tunisian people and commend the rapid action of Tunisian security forces.”

 

The United States deplores the attack in Tunisia coinciding with the annual Jewish pilgrimage that draws faithful to the El Ghriba Synagogue from around the world. We express condolences to the Tunisian people and commend the rapid action of Tunisian security forces.

— Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) May 10, 2023
The synagogue is one of Africa's oldest, and it attracts hundreds of Jewish pilgrims every year on May 9th.

 

 

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/05/355375/tunisia-synagogue-attack-death-toll-reaches-3-9-injured