Incident Summary:
04/11/2002: At 9:35 a.m., Nizar Naouar, a Tunisian man, rammed an old Iveco tanker truck filled with 5,000 liters of liquid gas into the Ghriba synagogue on the Tunisian vacation island of Djerba. The resulting explosion killed twenty-one people, including 14 Germans, two French tourists and five Tunisians. In addition to the attacks’ casualties, the suicide bomber was also killed. Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the attack in two televised interviews to arab language media.
Overview
GTD ID:
200204110003
When:
2002-04-11
Country:
Tunisia
Region:
Middle East & North Africa
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Medenine Governorate
City:
Er Riadh
Location Details:
Attack occurred in the narrow street leading to the entrance of the historic El-Ghriba Synagogue.
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Bombing/Explosion |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Religious Figures/Institutions |
Name of Entity |
Ghriba synagogue in Tunisia |
Specific Description |
Synagogue and tourists. |
Nationality of Target |
Tunisia |
Target Type: Tourists |
Name of Entity |
Bus load of tourists |
Specific Description |
Tourists unloading from bus near the Ghriba synogogue |
Nationality of Target |
Germany |
Target Type: Tourists |
Name of Entity |
Bus load of tourists |
Specific Description |
Tourists unloading from bus near the Ghriba synogogue |
Nationality of Target |
France |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
Yes |
Extent of Property Damage |
Major (likely > $1 million but < $1 billion) |
Value of Property Damage |
Unknown |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Explosives |
Vehicle |
Weapon Details |
The Iveco truck had been modified. A gas tank was welded onto the back of the vehicle and filled with the equivalent of 40 canisters of liquid gas - thought to be propane or butane. |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | Yes |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Doubt Terrorism Proper () |
No |
Additional Information |
One survivor stated: "The force of the blast was so great that I couldn't hold on to my son's hand and I was hurled through the synagogue on to the floor. A huge flame flashed through the door. It flared around my son's face, burning his arms and back." In addition, newspaper accounts linked the following members of Al-Qaida as involved with the attack: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Saad Bin Ladin, Christian Ganczarski, Walid Nawar and Belgacem Nawar. In addition, an unidentified individual was seen sprinting away from the truck before it detonated. |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name |
Group Sub-name |
Claimed Responsibility |
Al-Qaida |
Islamic Army for the Liberation of the Holy Sites |
Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Personal claim) |
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
1 |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
0 |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
21 Fatalities / 30 Injured |
Total Number of Fatalities |
21 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
1 |
Total Number of Injured |
30 |
Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
Spiegel On Line “Djerba Bombing Trail Beings in Paris”. January 5, 2009. |
Cable News Network. “2 Men Convicted in Tunisia Bombing”. May 10, 2006. |
The Guardian “Deadly Attack Keeps World on Alert”. September 4, 2002. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties