Synagogue attacked in Tunisia – several killed

At least four people have been killed in an attack on a synagogue in Tunisia, authorities said. In addition to two visitors to the Jewish church, a guard and the attacker himself were also killed in the incident on the island of Djerba, the North African country’s interior ministry said late Tuesday evening.

The security officer is said to have first killed his colleague and then “randomly” fired around in front of the La Ghriba Synagogue. In the end, he was killed by security forces. Four other believers and five guards were also injured. It was said that an investigation would be carried out into the course of the crime and the background.

According to the Tunisian foreign ministry, the synagogue visitors killed included a 30-year-old from Tunisia and a 42-year-old from France.

The synagogue today hosts the Jewish festival Lag Baomer, which attracts many local believers and pilgrims from Israel, France and other countries every year. According to Israeli media, about 1,000 people were in the church during the crime. Particularly strict security measures apply during the festival every year.

Videos circulating on social media appeared to show panicked people running through an adjacent building to the synagogue as gunshots rang out. Decorated with Tunisian flags, the caravanserai – originally a hostel for travelers – is the scene of the celebrations, as is the synagogue itself.

Tunisia has no diplomatic ties with Israel, but exceptionally allows its citizens to enter the country as part of organized tours for the festival. According to the Jewish community, only about 1,800 Jews live in Tunisia itself, most on Djerba. In the middle of the 20th century, there were still about 100,000 Jews in Tunisia.

Lag Baomer is a Jewish festival of joy. It traditionally punctuates the period of mourning between Passover – which commemorates the liberation of the Jews from slavery to the Egyptian pharaohs – and the Shavuot harvest festival.

Popular with tourists, the La Ghriba Synagogue on Djerba, with its beautifully designed interior, dates back to 1920. The foundation stone is said to have come from the ruined Temple in Jerusalem. In 2002, 20 people, including 14 German tourists, died in an attack by the Islamist terrorist organization Al-Qaeda on the synagogue.

(yam/sda/dpa)