Tunisia: Attempt to kidnap Jews for ransom

The Tunisian government foiled an attempt to kidnap Jews for ransom. This was reported today (Thursday) by Interior Ministry official in the country. According to the statement, four young men, including a policeman were arrested on suspicion of involvement in planning the kidnapping.

The source added that police also confiscated weapons.

According to one report, the newspaper El Hakad, the policeman arrested previously dealt with the security of the Jewish community in Zarzis, where the group planned to carry out the kidnapping. According to the report, he is the one who formulated the plan and had put up the infrastructure of the hijackers.

It was also reported that the policeman was an activist of an extremist Islamic group active in the area. The planning, inter alia, was to kidnap Jews who spent time at the beach on Friday.

"I wondered why another military vehicle parked in front of our synagogue last week, then I read about the arrest", said a Jewish resident in the city to the JTA site.

Head of the Jewish community of the island of Jerba in Tunisia, Perez Trabelsi, said that a campaign to encourage Jews to leave the country is going on. "There are many concerns, but this is our country and we will not leave it."

Tunisia's Jewish community today numbers about 2,000 people only.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!