Masked Islamist stabs Jewish man in Tunisian market

Attacker is released with no charges after mob descends on local police station, threatening to burn it down

A Jewish man was stabbed at a market on the island of Djerba in Tunisia on Thursday evening, according to bystanders.

Gabriel Uzon, 38, a father of four, was stabbed in the chest by a masked Muslim assailant at the Jewish market in the city, Israeli media outlet NRG reported.

According to eyewitnesses, the attacker yelled “The nation of Muhammad returns for vengeance,” before charging Uzon. The two then engaged in a struggle, which resulted in the stabbing.

Bystanders were eventually able to subdue the attacker and transfer him to police.

Uzon was taken to the hospital in stable condition, according to the report.

Over a hundred masked men showed up at the police station where the attacker was being held, threatening to burn it down unless the man was released, according to the report, which cited local sources.

The police is said to have released the attacker without filing charges.

Jewish community representatives said it was the second anti-Semitic attack in a month, with the previous stabbing occurring during Passover.

Some 2,000 Jews from around the world took part in a three-day annual pilgrimage, which ended Sunday, to Djerba’s Ghriba synagogue. It was the first time in several years that the pilgrimage drew such a large number of travelers.

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