Israeli stabbed to death in Moroccan city of Tangier

Victim, who owns a kosher restaurant in city, was reportedly giving food to a homeless person when he was stabbed; motivation for attack not immediately clear

By ToI Staff 26 August 2021, 1:47 am 4 Edit

Crowds gather at the scene where an Israeli man was stabbed to death in the Moroccan city of Tangier on August 25, 2021 (Screencapture/Facebook)

An Israeli citizen was stabbed to death in the Moroccan city of Tangier on Wednesday, an Israel-based rescue group said.

According to reports in Morocco the victim, identified as a 36-year-old owner of a kosher restaurant in the city, was apparently giving food to a homeless person when he was attacked and stabbed with a small knife.

The victim died on the way to the hospital.

Reports said police had arrested a suspect but the motive was not immediately clear. They said the suspect appeared to be “mentally disturbed” and the dispute may have been over the refusal of the restaurant owner to hire him for work.

However, police were also investigating if the assault was antisemitic or nationalistically motivated.

The attack comes just months after Israel normalized ties with Morocco and stepped up relations, including the establishment of direct flights in recent weeks.

The ZAKA search and rescue organization said it was working with the Foreign Ministry to bring the body of the man to Israel for burial.

There was no immediate comment from the Foreign Ministry.

Last week Morocco’s King Mohammed VI sent a letter to President Isaac Herzog, in which he expressed hope that renewed ties between the countries will encourage regional peace.