Tragedy at Tunisian Synagogue: A Desperate Act of Self-Immolation

A man set himself on fire outside the Grand Synagogue in Tunisia's capital and was subsequently shot by police. The incident injured a police officer and a passerby. The act, tied to psychiatric disorders, recalls historical tensions and symbolic acts in Tunisia's Jewish and political history.

A tragic incident unfolded in front of the Grand Synagogue in Tunisia's capital as a man set himself on fire, leading to police intervention. The Interior Ministry confirmed that officers were forced to shoot after the man, engulfed in flames, advanced towards them.

The alarming event occurred after sundown, coinciding with the synagogue's Sabbath prayers. Both a police officer and a bystander sustained burns during the incident and were hospitalized. Authorities have withheld the man's identity but noted he suffered from unspecified psychiatric disorders.

This act echoes Tunisia's historical pains, reminiscent of the Arab Spring's onset sparked by a similar self-immolation. The country's Jewish community, once thriving, has faced repeated hostilities in recent years, with attacks on synagogues marking a grim continuity of past woes.

(With inputs from agencies.)