Tunisian Court Raises Sentences for El Ghriba Synagogue Attack Participants

On October 21, a criminal chamber of the Tunis Court of Appeal that handles terrorism cases increased prison terms for four individuals linked to the May 9 2023 assault on the historic El Ghriba Synagogue on Djerba. The fiancée of the gunman saw her term rise from eight to ten years and was placed under five-year administrative supervision. A second defendant, who provided the attacker with accommodation and communicated with him, received a comparable increase and the same supervision period. A third defendant’s sentence was extended from two to six years, and a fourth defendant—previously exempt from trial—was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison. The appellate rulings follow earlier convictions handed down on February 16 2026, when five defendants received sentences ranging from one to fifteen years.

Tunisian court increases prison sentences for those convicted in synagogue attack The Jerusalem Post

The May 9 2023 attack occurred during the annual Jewish pilgrimage, a gathering that draws hundreds of visitors to one of Africa’s oldest synagogues. A National Guard officer opened fire on a fellow guard, seized ammunition, and then shot indiscriminately at security personnel near the sanctuary. The assault killed five people—three National Guard officers and two Jewish visitors, Aviel Haddad and his cousin Benjamin from France—and wounded nine others. The perpetrator, Wissam Khazri, was killed in a subsequent exchange of fire. The site had previously suffered a suicide bombing in 2002 that killed 21 people.

The Jerusalem Post

President Kais Saied condemned the incident as a “grave criminal act” and called for stronger protection of places of worship and the elimination of discord-seeding influences. Tunisian judicial authorities framed the appellate decisions as part of an ongoing process to determine responsibility for the attack, emphasizing that the gunman’s actions should not be conflated with the separate culpability of the convicted accomplices.

Tunisian court increases prison sentences for those convicted in synagogue attack

• “The attack also killed two visitors and injured others.” — Reversal

The Jerusalem Post