The Ghriba synagogue bombing was carried out by Niser bin Muhammad Nasr Nawar on the El Ghriba synagogue in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

in 2002.

Bombing

On April 11, 2002, a

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

fitted with explosives drove past security barriers at the ancient El Ghriba synagogue on the Tunisian island of

Djerba Djerba (; ar, جربة, Jirba, ; it, Meninge, Girba), also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is a Tunisian island and the largest island of North Africa at , in the Gulf of Gabès, off the coast of Tunisia. It had a population of 139,544 ...

. The truck detonated at the front of the synagogue, killing 14

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

tourists, three

Tunisians Tunisians ( ar, تونسيون ''Tūnisiyyūn'', aeb, توانسة ''Twensa'') are the citizens and nationals of Tunisia in North Africa, who speak Tunisian Arabic and share a common Tunisian culture and identity. In addition, a Tunisian diaspo ...

, and two French nationals.Official Procès-Verbal, July 20th, 2002 in Tunis, El Fadel El Malki, Central Directorate of the Judicial police, The Criminal Affairs Bureau More than 30 others were wounded. Although the explosion was initially called an accident, as Tunisia,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

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 A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...

, who carried out the attack with the aid of a relative. Al-Qaeda later claimed responsibility for the attack, which was reportedly organized by

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (sometimes also spelled Shaikh; also known by at least 50 pseudonyms; born March 1, 1964 or April 14, 1965) is a Pakistani Islamist militant held by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp under terrorism-re ...

and Saad bin Laden. However, Saad's family denied he was involved in the attack. In March 2003, five people were arrested in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

who were believed to have financed this attack. In April 2003, a German man named Christian Ganczarski was arrested in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in connection with the bombing. He was arrested by a joint intelligence operation, in the frame of Alliance Base, which is located in Paris, and transferred to

Fresnes Prison Fresnes Prison (''French Centre pénitentiaire de Fresnes'') is the second largest prison in France, located in the town of Fresnes, Val-de-Marne, south of Paris. It comprises a large men's prison (''maison d'arrêt'') of about 1200 cells, a small ...

in Paris. In February 2009, Ganczarski was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the bombing.

Commemoration of the victims

10 years after the attack, thanks to freedom of expression and organization brought by the 2011

Tunisian revolution The Tunisian Revolution, also called the Jasmine Revolution, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime president Zine El ...

, a Djerbian citizens' initiative to break the silence was adopted by the Presidency of the Republic and concerned

embassies A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

to commemorate victims of this attack. Image:Marche 11 avril.jpg, Silent march Image:Hommage_11_avril.jpg, Flowers laid for those killed in the attack Image:Blumen 11 April.jpg Image:Flowers 11 avril.jpg On April 11, 2012, Tunisian President

Moncef Marzouki Mohamed Moncef Marzouki ( ar, محمد المنصف المرزوقي; ''Muhammad al-Munṣif al-Marzūqī'', born 7 July 1945) is a Tunisian politician who served as the fifth president of Tunisia from 2011 to 2014. Through his career he has been ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

Horst-Wolfram Kerll ( de), the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Tunisia and Boris Boillon, Ambassador of the French Republic to Tunisia, marched silently in homage to the victims. Moncef Marzouki met with present victims' families and delivered a memorial speech where he strongly condemned this attack and expressed on behalf of the people of Tunisia and the Tunisian government a deep compassion for victims and their families.

References

{{coord, 33, 48, 50, N, 10, 51, 33, E, type:landmark_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title 2002 in Judaism 2002 murders in Tunisia 21st-century attacks on synagogues and Jewish communal organizations 21st-century mass murder in Africa Al-Qaeda attacks Antisemitism in Tunisia April 2002 crimes April 2002 events in Africa Attacks on buildings and structures in 2002 Attacks on religious buildings and structures in Africa Djerba Explosions in Tunisia Improvised explosive device bombings in 2002 Islam and antisemitism Jews and Judaism in Tunisia Mass murder in 2002 Mass murder in Tunisia Murder in Tunis Suicide car and truck bombings in Africa Terrorist incidents in Tunis Terrorist incidents in Tunisia in 2002 Attacks in Africa in 2002 2002 disasters in Tunisia

Bombing

Commemoration of the victims

See also

References