Ghriba synagogue bombing
2002 Islamist suicide bombing of a synagogue in Tunisia
Ghriba synagogue bombing | |
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Part of the Maghreb insurgency | |
Synagogue entrance through which the
fuel tanker
drove during attack
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Location | Djerba , Tunisia |
Date | April 11, 2002 ; 21 years ago ( 2002-04-11 ) |
Target | El Ghriba synagogue |
Attack type
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Suicide bombing |
Weapons | Natural gas truck bomb |
Deaths | 20 (including the perpetrator) |
Injured | 30+ |
Perpetrators | al-Qaeda |
Motive | Antisemitism |
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The Ghriba synagogue bombing was carried out by Niser bin Muhammad Nasr Nawar on the El Ghriba synagogue in Tunisia in 2002.
Bombing
On April 11, 2002, a natural gas truck fitted with explosives drove past security barriers at the ancient El Ghriba synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba . [1] The truck detonated at the front of the synagogue, killing 14 German tourists, three Tunisians , and two French nationals. [2] More than 30 others were wounded. [3] [4] [5]
Country | Number |
---|---|
Germany | 14 |
Tunisia | 3 |
France | 2 |
Total | 19 |
Although the explosion was initially called an accident, [6] as Tunisia, France , and Germany investigated, it became clear that it was a deliberate attack. A 24-year-old man named Niser bin Muhammad Nasr Nawar was the suicide bomber , who carried out the attack with the aid of a relative. [ who? ] Al-Qaeda later claimed responsibility for the attack, [7] which was reportedly organized by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Saad bin Laden . [8] [9] However, Saad's family denied he was involved in the attack. [10] [11]
In March 2003, five people were arrested in Spain in connection with the attack. [12] On May 10, 2006, two of them, Spanish businessman Enrique Cerda and Pakistani national Ahmed Rukhsar, were sentenced to five years in prison for collaborating with a terrorist group. [13] In June 2003, a German man named Christian Ganczarski was arrested at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris in connection with the bombing. [14] [15] He was arrested by a joint intelligence operation, in the frame of Alliance Base , which is located in Paris, and transferred to Fresnes Prison in Paris. [16] [17] In February 2009, Ganczarski was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the bombing. [18]
Commemoration of the victims
On April 11, 2012, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki , Tunisian Grand Rabbi Haim Bitan , the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Tunisia, and Boris Boillon , Ambassador of the French Republic to Tunisia, visited Djerba to pay their respects to the victims on the attack's 10th anniversary. Marzouki met with victims' families and delivered a speech where he strongly condemned this attack and reassured Tunisian Jews of their place in Tunisian society. [19]
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Silent march
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Flowers laid for those killed in the attack
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See also
References
- ↑ "Blast at Tunisian synagogue kills five" . 11 April 2002.
- ↑ Official Procès-Verbal, July 20th, 2002 in Tunis, El Fadel El Malki, Central Directorate of the Judicial police, The Criminal Affairs Bureau
- ↑ Tepper, Greg. "Citing terror threat, Israel advises travelers to stay out Tunisia" . www.timesofisrael.com . Retrieved 2023-05-10 .
- ↑ "RFI - Ouverture du procès de l'attentat de Djerba" . www1.rfi.fr . Retrieved 2023-05-10 .
- ↑ "Béji Caïd Essebsi, président de la Tunisie: "Notre premier créancier, c'est la France" " . La Tribune (in French). 2015-06-04 . Retrieved 2023-05-10 .
- ↑ "Synagogue explosion 'no accident' " .
- ↑ "Al-Qaeda claims Tunisia attack" . 23 June 2002.
- ↑ "Two jailed over Tunisia bombing" . 5 February 2009.
- ↑ "Bin Laden son 'takes leading role' " . 30 July 2002.
- ↑ "Bin Laden's Family Under House Arrest in Iran « ASHARQ AL-AWSAT" . Archived from the original on 2014-09-24 . Retrieved 2019-02-17 .
- ↑ "Osama Bin Laden's Family Seek Asylum « ASHARQ AL-AWSAT" . Archived from the original on 2014-09-24 . Retrieved 2019-02-17 .
- ↑ Yoldi, José (2003-03-12). "Tres de los cinco detenidos por su vinculación con Al Qaeda quedan en libertad sin cargos" . El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582 . Retrieved 2023-05-10 .
- ↑ "2 men convicted in Tunisia bombing" . edition.cnn.com . Retrieved 2023-05-10 .
- ↑ "France arrests al-Qaeda suspects" . 2003-06-06 . Retrieved 2023-05-10 .
- ↑ "RFI - Ouverture du procès de l'attentat de Djerba" . www1.rfi.fr . Retrieved 2023-05-10 .
- ↑ "Help from France key in covert operations" . NBC News . 3 July 2005 . Retrieved 2023-05-10 .
- ↑ "De la Haute-Silésie à Médine, l'itinéraire d'un "haut responsable d'Al-Qaida" arrêté en France" . Le Monde.fr (in French). 2005-07-12 . Retrieved 2023-05-10 .
- ↑ "Michel Moutot. Al Qaeda militant found guilty for Tunisian synagogue attack" . Archived from the original on 2012-07-05 . Retrieved 2011-04-07 .
- ↑ Bouazza, Bouazza Ben; Press, Associated (2012-04-11). "Tunisia marks 10 years since bloody synagogue bomb" . San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved 2023-05-10 .
33°48′50″N 10°51′33″E / 33.81389°N 10.85917°E / 33.81389; 10.85917