A massacre took place on the sidelines of the annual pilgrimage to Africa’s oldest synagogue on Tuesday. A Tunisian security officer suddenly opened fire on other colleagues and believers. Several people were killed as a result. Moments later, the attacker was shot himself.
According to the Tunisian government, a security officer at a naval facility first shot a colleague with his rifle and took his ammunition. Then he began his attack on the synagogue on the island of Djerba. The attacker then fired indiscriminately at security forces near the synagogue, killing two worshipers and another guard. According to the Tunisian foreign ministry, the murdered believers were a Frenchman and a Tunisian. Authorities have not yet given a motive for the crime.
The annual pilgrimage to Africa’s oldest synagogue regularly draws hundreds of Jews from Europe and Israel to Djerba, a holiday resort about 500 kilometers from the capital Tunis. It has been under close scrutiny since al-Qaeda militants bombed the synagogue with trucks in 2002, killing 20 Western tourists. According to Israeli media, about 1,000 people were in the church during the crime. Tunisia does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, but exceptionally allows its citizens to enter the country as part of organized tours for the festival.
Source: Krone
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