| Ghriba synagogue bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of theInsurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present) | |
 Synagogue entrance through which thefuel tanker drove during attack | |
 Interactive map of Ghriba synagogue bombing | |
| Location | Djerba,Tunisia |
| Date | 11 April 2002; 23 years ago (2002-04-11) |
| Target | El Ghriba synagogue |
Attack type | Suicide bombing |
| Weapons | Natural gastruck bomb |
| Deaths | 20 (including theperpetrator) |
| Injured | 30+ |
| Perpetrators | al-Qaeda |
| Motive | al-Qaeda claim:revenge for thedeaths of Palestinians[1] |
TheGhriba synagogue bombing was carried out byNiser bin Muhammad Nasr Nawar on theEl Ghriba synagogue inTunisia in 2002.
TheEl Ghriba synagogue inDjerba is theoldest synagogue inAfrica.[2]
On 11 April 2002, anatural gastruck fitted withexplosives drove pastsecurity barriers at the ancientEl Ghriba Synagogue on the Tunisian island ofDjerba.[3] The truck detonated at the front of the synagogue, killing 14German tourists, threeTunisians, and twoFrench nationals.[4] More than 30 others were wounded.[5][6][7]
| Country | Number |
|---|---|
 Germany | 14 |
 Tunisia | 3 |
 France | 2 |
| Total | 19 |
Although the explosion was initially called an accident,[8] as Tunisia,France, andGermany investigated, it became clear that it was a deliberate attack. A 24-year-old man named Niser bin Muhammad Nasr Nawar was thesuicide bomber, who carried out the attack with the aid of a relative.[who?][verification needed]
Al-Qaeda later claimed responsibility for the attack.[1] which was reportedly organized byKhalid Sheikh Mohammed andSaad bin Laden.[9][10] However, Saad's family denied he was involved in the attack.[11][12]
In March 2003, five people were arrested inSpain in connection with the attack.[13] 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.[14] In June 2003, a German man namedChristian Ganczarski was arrested at theCharles de Gaulle airport inParis in connection with the bombing.[15][16] He was arrested by a joint intelligence operation, in the frame ofAlliance Base, which is located in Paris, and transferred toFresnes Prison in Paris.[17][18] In February 2009, Ganczarski was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the bombing.[19]
On 11 April 2012,Tunisian PresidentMoncef Marzouki, Tunisian Grand RabbiHaim Bitan, theAmbassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Tunisia, andBoris 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.[20]
In an audio tape broadcast on theArabic al-Jazeera television channel, al-Qaeda officialSulaiman Abu Ghaith said the attack was revenge for the deaths of Palestinians... Mr Abu Ghaith said the 11 April attack "was carried out by al-Qaeda network. A youth could not see his brothers inPalestine butchered and murdered... [while] he saw Jews cavorting inDjerba".
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33°48′50″N10°51′33″E / 33.81389°N 10.85917°E /33.81389; 10.85917
