Today, Wednesday, the Tunisian authorities are investigating the circumstances of an attack carried out by a security officer that killed three of his colleagues and two visitors outside a synagogue on the island of Djerba (east).
This synagogue is the oldest in Africa, and was targeted in 2002 by a suicide car bomb attack, killing 21 people.
And the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, in a statement on Wednesday, that a third security officer had been killed and said that an investigation was underway in order to “determine the responsibilities in this cowardly attack.”
The Interior Ministry said in a statement that Tuesday’s attack was carried out in two phases.
On Wednesday, security forces deployed around the perimeter of the synagogue, which led to the closure of all roads leading to it.
Two people who were taking part in a celebration in the Ghriba Synagogue were also killed.
The Ministry of the Interior stated that “a guard assistant affiliated with the Naval Center of the National Guard (…) killed his colleague, using his individual weapon and seizing ammunition, on Tuesday evening.”
She added that after that, “he tried to reach the vicinity of the Ghriba Temple, and deliberately fired randomly at the security units stationed in the place, which confronted him and prevented him from reaching the temple, and shot him dead.”
The ministry stated that two “visitors” to the temple were killed by the attacker’s bullets before he was shot, noting that “4 other people were wounded, of varying degrees, and were taken to hospital for treatment.”
Five security personnel were also wounded.
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