A man was fatally shot by police after setting himself ablaze and attempting to break into Tunis's Great Synagogue during Friday evening Shabbat prayers.
The assailant charged at officers while on fire, prompting police to open fire in self-defense, Tunisia's Interior Ministry reported. One officer was hospitalized with burns, along with an injured bystander. Officials identified the attacker only as someone with psychiatric disorders.
This latest incident adds to a troubling pattern of attacks on Tunisia's Jewish sites. Last May, a national guardsman killed five people at the ancient El-Ghriba synagogue in Djerba during an annual pilgrimage. Pro-Palestinian protesters later vandalized a historic synagogue in El Hamma, followed by an arson attack on Sfax's synagogue garden.
The attack carries dark echoes of Tunisia's recent history, recalling Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation in 2010 that sparked the Arab Spring protests.
The American Jewish Committee expressed alarm at the attack, noting growing pressures on Tunisia's remaining 1,500-strong Jewish community. Security around Jewish sites has been heightened since the Gaza conflict began, as authorities work to protect the country's ancient Jewish presence amid regional tensions.
This event follows a string of attacks on Tunisian Jewish sites, including last May's deadly terror attack at Djerba's El Ghriba Synagogue that killed five people, and recent arson incidents at synagogues in El Hamma and Sfax.
The American Jewish Committee expressed horror at the attack, noting the incident adds to mounting pressures on Tunisia's 1,500-strong Jewish community. "These have been hard years for all Tunisians - and especially the Jewish community," the AJC stated, warning against letting "hate and division" erode Tunisia's pluralistic character.
Security around Jewish sites in Tunisia has been heightened since the Gaza conflict began, as authorities work to protect the country's ancient Jewish presence amid regional tensions.
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