A man who set himself on fire in front of the Grand Synagogue in Tunisia’s capital was fatally shot by police Friday evening, according to the Interior Ministry. The incident left a police officer and a passerby hospitalized with burns.
The man ignited the fire shortly after sundown, coinciding with Sabbath prayers at the synagogue. According to the ministry’s statement, the man advanced toward an officer while engulfed in flames, prompting another officer to open fire to protect his colleague. Authorities have not disclosed the man’s identity or motive, only noting that he had a history of psychiatric disorders.
The Grand Synagogue, located in central Tunis, stands as a significant symbol for Tunisia’s small Jewish community, which now numbers approximately 1,500 people. Historically, Jewish sites in Tunisia have faced sporadic attacks.
In 2023, a national guardsman killed five people at the El-Ghriba synagogue, a 2,600-year-old Jewish site on the island of Djerba. Later that year, pro-Palestinian demonstrators vandalized a historic synagogue in El Hamma, and a garden outside a synagogue in Sfax was set ablaze.
Tunisia’s history also bears the weight of another self-immolation, which sparked massive political change. The 2010 death of street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, in protest against economic hardship and corruption, ignited the Arab Spring uprisings across the region.
AP
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