Report: IS Plot to Attack Shul in Tunisia Foiled

A plot by the Islamic State terror group to carry out an attack on a shul in eastern Tunisia was recently foiled, the local Al Chourouk newspaper reported earlier this week.

The report said that IS had planned to target a shul in El Marsa, a coastal town east of the capital of Tunis. The members of the terrorist cell were reportedly apprehended, but the report made no mention of how many individuals were involved in the plot.

According to the report, the plan was foiled when a man working with the authorities informed them that an IS cell was planning to murder the shul’s caretaker and steal gold believed to be kept on the premises. The report said the cell also planned to murder local security officials and politicians, although it did not elaborate on whether the intended victims were targeted over their ties with the local Jewish community.

It is estimated that some 1,000 Jews currently live in Tunisia.

Authorities said that some of the suspected IS terrorists had traveled to Syria, where they were trained and sent back to Tunisia as recruiters for the terror group.

It is believed that close to 7,000 Tunisians have joined IS in recent years, making Tunisia the biggest Islamic State hub in the Arab world.

Last May, the Counterterrorism Bureau at the Prime Minister’s Office issued a travel advisory for Tunisia, warning of a “high-level, concrete threat” that Israelis visiting the country may be targeted by terrorists.