2023 Djerba synagogue shooting

2023 El Ghriba synagogue shooting
Location	El Ghriba Synagogue, Djerba, Tunisia
Date	May 9, 2023 (2023-May-09)
Target	Worshippers at the El Ghriba Synagogue
Attack type	Mass shooting
Deaths	6 (including the perpetrator)
Injured	9
Victims	Two pilgrims and three security guards

On 9 May 2023, a shooting occurred near the El Ghriba Synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia. The shooter, a guard at a naval center, shot and killed a colleague and seized his ammunition before heading to the synagogue. There he killed two visitors, two police officers and wounded nine others. He was killed by security guards during a gunfight. No motive was identified for the attack.

Background

The El Ghriba synagogue is the site of an annual pilgrimage, attracting thousands of visitors each year to celebrate the holiday of Lag BaOmer. It has previously been the target of Islamist militants. In 2002, al-Qaeda militants attacked the synagogue with a truck bomb, resulting in the deaths of 21 people.

Attack

The assailant, who was affiliated with the National Guard naval center in Aghir, killed his colleague before taking ammunition and heading towards the synagogue. Upon arrival, he fired outside the synagogue, killing a French tourist, his Tunisian-Israeli cousin, and two police officers, before being shot dead. The synagogue was subsequently locked down.

Nine people were injured, including five security guards and four civilians. It has not been confirmed if the civilian causalities were attending the pilgrimage ceremonies.