Deadly Tunisian synagogue attack was premeditated and targeted temple, interior minister says

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA
Associated Press

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s interior minister says a national guardsman behind an attack that killed five people intentionally targeted an ancient synagogue in a premeditated act. The minister pledged Thursday to “spare no effort to ensure the stability of the country” and to protect foreigners after the attack on the Mediterranean island of Djerba. Three Tunisian servicemen and two Jewish civilians attending an international pilgrimage at the El Ghriba synagogue were killed. The minister described the shooting as a “cowardly criminal attack” but refrained from calling it a terrorist act. Tuesday’s attack is a new blow to Tunisia’s once-thriving tourism industry as well as to a vibrant Jewish community in an overwhelmingly Muslim region.