Shock Attack at Tunisian Synagogue: Police Officer Opens Fire, Killing Four
Deadly Rampage on Historic Pilgrimage
In a chilling first since 2015, a police officer went on a shooting spree at the Ghriba synagogue in Tunisia, violently targeting foreign visitors. The attack marked the worst assault on the pilgrimage since a deadly suicide truck bombing back in 2002.
Officer Turns Killer, Slays Visitors and Colleagues
The assailant, a serving police officer, fatally shot two visitors—a 30-year-old Tunisian and a 42-year-old Frenchman—before killing two fellow officers. Security forces then shot the attacker dead, ending the bloody incident. Four visitors and five police officers were wounded amid the chaos.
The Tunisia Interior Ministry revealed the attacker first murdered a colleague to steal his ammunition, setting off panic among the hundreds at the synagogue.
Official Responses and Ongoing Probe
Authorities are scrambling to determine the motive, though the Interior Ministry stops short of calling it a terrorist act. Both the French and US governments quickly condemned the brutal attack.
Anne-Claire Legendre, French foreign ministry spokeswoman, slammed the “heinous act.”
US State Dept spokesman Matthew Miller tweeted condolences to Tunisia and praised the speedy response of security forces.
Historic Site and Shrinking Jewish Community Under Threat
The Ghriba synagogue on Djerba island is a vital religious site, drawing over 5,000 Jewish pilgrims annually. The pilgrimage resumed last year after a COVID-19 hiatus. Tunisia’s Jewish population has plummeted from 100,000 before independence in 1956 to just 1,500 today, mostly residing in Djerba.
Despite dwindling numbers and past attacks, pilgrims from Europe, the US, and Israel continue to visit, keeping this cherished tradition alive.
Tunisia’s Ongoing Turmoil
The attack hits amid Tunisia’s fragile recovery from pandemic setbacks and the 2015 terrorist strikes that devastated tourism. Since the 2011 Arab Spring, Islamist militancy surged but has since been pushed back by tough security measures.
Meanwhile, the country battles a crushing financial crisis, worsened by President Kais Saied’s power grab in 2021, which destabilised politics and the economy further.
