4 killed in armed attack in southern Tunisia

 Two visitors and two security guards have been killed in a gun attack near Africa’s oldest synagogue, on the Tunisian island of Djerba, Tunisian government said in a statement.

According to the statement, the attack took place during an annual pilgrimage to the island, which attracts Jewish visitors from Europe and Israel.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry said in a statement that the attack was staged by a guard at a naval installation on Djerba who used his weapon to shoot a colleague and seize his ammunition before heading toward the synagogue.

The attacker fired indiscriminately at security units located near the synagogue, killing the two visitors and another security officer, as well as injuring five security officers and four visitors. Security forces then shot him dead, the Interior Ministry said.

For its part, The Tunisian foreign ministry said one of the visitors killed was French and one was Tunisian.

E.M