Belgium: Jewish Museum shooting investigation complete, 4th suspect not identified

Via Flanders Today:

Mehdi Nemmouche, accused of killing four people in a shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in 2014, has been remanded in custody for a further two months. At the same time, the prosecutor’s office said the investigation into the attack was now complete, and Nemmouche (pictured) could expect to go to trial in the early part of next year.

The investigating magistrate has passed the dossier to the federal prosecutor’s office, which has authority over terrorism cases. The magistrate assigned to the case will prepare arguments for having Nemmouche committed for trial. (...) 

The attack on the museum was carried out by a single armed man; two volunteers and two visitors died either on site or later in hospital. Nemmouche, 32, was arrested in Marseilles in possession of weapons a week following the shooting.

He has not given any statements during his time in custody. His lawyers have said that he admits taking part in the attack but denies being the shooter.

Two other men are implicated in the planning of the operation and in Nemmouche’s escape to France. One of them, Nacer Bendrer, was in custody until last November, when he was released under conditions. He is now under house arrest in France. A fourth suspect has never been traced.

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Note: "If the suspect is proved to be the killer, this would be the first known case of a European volunteer with Islamic radicals in Syria to have carried out an attack upon his return to Europe." (The Telegraph)

Killing.

A fourth suspect has never been traced.

Belgium: Belgians felt less concerned by antisemitic shooting at Jewish museum than by attack on Thalys

In the wake of the terrorist attack on 21 August 2015 on the high-speed Thalys train bound from Amsterdam to Paris, top Belgian journalist Béatrice Delvaux, with the daily Le Soir. was interviewed by the French television station France 5. She was asked by broadcaster Yves Calvi how the Belgians felt after learning that the suspect, a Moroccan national named Ayoub El Kahzzani, had boarded the train in Brussels - it was revealed later that he had been staying with his sister who lives in the borough of Molenbeek in Brussels.

Béatrice Delvaux said that Belgians remained extremely calm.

She added that for them the Thalys has become part of their daily lives. They use the Thalys to go to Paris and many take it to go on their holidays at the French Riviera.  It has become a very common means of travelling for not only for them but also for their children. 

Two victims of the massacre at the
Jewish museum in Brussels perpetrated
by Frenchman Mehdi Nemmouche

Oddly, Béatrice Delvaux then referred to the shootings by Mehdi Nemmouche at the Brussels Jewish Museum which left four dead.  She claimed that  this  familiarity with the Thalys meant that Belgians felt less concerned by the antisemitc attack which was very symbolic and they had assumed that a specific community had been targeted. The act was deplored and everyone was horrified. But basically they did not feel that their daily lives were directly threatened.

Maybe Belgian journalists should be reminded of the words of Pastor Martin Niemöller: 

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."  

Some feel that Jews are not part of the national community.

Transcript in French:

France: "I'd love to grab those little Jewish girls by their pigtails before killing them"

Via France24:

Nemmouche made more headlines recently following reports that two former hostages, Nicolas Hénin and Didier François, had identified Nemmouche as one of their captors when they were being held by jihadists in Syria. 

(...) 

François told Europe 1 radio on Monday: “Throughout our detention there was an anti-Semitic obsession [from Nemmouche], he wanted to replicate or outdo Merah, who was a sort of model for him.” 

The former hostage also said that Nemmouche described himself as “a young criminal who had been transformed into an ethnic cleanser”

Via Philosémitisme Blog and Libération:

Nemmouche further told François that "Mohamed Merah was the greatest Frenchman France has ever produced" and that he "would love to grab those little Jewish girls by their pigtails before killing them".  This is exactly what Merah did, as he chased little Jewish kids around the school playground and shot them to death.

France: Muslim prisoners celebrated Brussels attack

Rabbi Yosef Labkowski is a Chabad rabbi in Marseiile, and also works as a prison chaplin. He reports that according to a Jewish prison guard, the Muslim prisoners were very happy when they heard of the attack in Brussels and praised the 'bravery' of the terrorist. They think it's time for such an 'awakening' across the continent and in France in particular.

Rabbi Labkowski also says that last week two Jewish schools were photographed by Arab-looking men. When the teachers called the police, the men fled.

He says that many times people, mostly young Muslims, shout insults at him on the street, but that in some cases the local Muslims show him respect as he passes by.

More: shturem.net

Italy: Right-wing extemist on TV claims air of "secret services, lobbies and international interests" around Brussels attack

Italy’s Jewish community is taking legal action against a television talk show for running an interview this week with a right-wing extremist who extolled fascism.

Renzo Gattegna, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, or UCEI, said in a statement that the group had lodged a formal legal complaint against the talk show, Le Iene, and also against Roberto Jonghi Lavarini of the far-right National Project movement.

Le Iene ran the interview with Lavarini late Wednesday night, calling him a “European Fascist.” Among other things, Lavarini praised the regime of Italy’s World War II fascist dictator Benito Mussolini as “a splendid era” during which, “aside from some healthy beatings with a truncheon and a few little drinks of castor oil, nothing ever happened.”

In his view, he said, Mussolini’s “only mistake was to be too good to his political opponents.” The six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, he said, died because the Nazis were “precise” and “well organized.” 

In addition, he said there was an air of “secret services, lobbies and international interests” around last week’s attack in Brussels on the Jewish Museum of Belgium, which left four dead.

More: Times of Israel

Switzerland: Tariq Ramadan suggests Brussels attack was Mossad related

On May 27th, before Muslim terrorist Mehdi Nemmouche was arrested for the Brussels attack, Swiss Tariq Ramadan wrote on his Facebook as follows:

"The two tourists targeted in Brussels worked for the Israeli Secret Service according to Le Soir and other sources ....  The government is not commenting. By chance. Is it anti-Semitism or a red herring to hide the true motives and attackers?  I condemn the killing of innocents and all forms of racism without exception, but they must also stop taking us for fools."

It is true that the French media (as well as anti-Semitic sites) played around with the possibility that the two Israeli tourists were targeted for a 'good' reason.  It was a targeted killing, not a run-of-the-mill terrorist attack against Jews.

The man who says he "condemns the killing of innocents and all forms of racism" bothered to strongly imply that this this attack did not kill innocents and had nothing to do with racism.

Since then, Ramadan has nothing further to say on the topic.  It's easy to tell your followers an antisemitic attack might be a Mossad-related killing.  More than 10,000 people 'liked' his conspiracy theory.  It's harder to face the fact that a Muslim was responsible.  For Ramadan, it's too hard.

France: Muslim Jihadist arrested for Brussels Museum attack

A Frenchman has been arrested in Marseille over a shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels that left four people dead, reports say. 

Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, sources told AFP. 

He was reportedly carrying a Kalashnikov rifle and a handgun similar to the ones used in the May 24 attack. 

Security was tightened at Jewish sites across Belgium following the killings. 

Mr Nemmouche, who is believed to be from the northern French town of Roubaix, is also suspected of having links to Islamists militants fighting in Syria.

More: BBC

Belgium: Four murdered in attack on Jewish Museum in Brussels

Hours after the attack, Flemish media was still careful to inform viewers that this might, just might, be an actual attack (but we still can't be sure).

Please note: Belgian media published pictures which in Israel would be considered insensitive towards the victims.  Assume links might contain photos.  Additionally, news-reports from Belgium, even this morning, are quite confused.  I collected the last-minute reports from various sources.

Update: Belgian news sources had reported four people were killed, but Belgian authorities say only three were killed, and one was in critical condition.

Update 2: I'll be adding more info as I find it.

VTM report: "Attack" on Brussels Jewish Museum

The victims:
- An Israeli couple in their 50s, who were touring in Belgium
- A Jewish French citizen in her 60s, volunteer at the museum
- A Jewish Belgian citizen, born in Israel, a 23-year old employee of the museum, was critically injured in the attack. He died from his wounds two weeks later.

The shooter shot the victims in the head and neck without saying a word, then fled.

Belgian police quickly arrested a man seen driving away from the scene, but later established he was not connected to the shootings.  All Jewish institutions in Belgium and the Netherlands are on high alert.

"First anti- Jewish attack in Brussels since World War II"

Maurice Sosnowski , President of CCOJB, the umbrella group of Jewish organizations in Belgium, said that this was the "first anti- Jewish attack in Brussels since World War II", a factoid quickly reported by any journalist who did not bother to check the facts.

The truth is that the Brussels Jewish community (and in fact, the CCOJB) have been the target of several terrorist attacks:
* In 1972, an Israeli diplomat was lured to a cafe and shot to death
* In 1982, four people were injured in an attack on the synagogue in Brussels
* In 1989, Dr. Joseph Wybran, recently elected chairman of the CCOJB, was assassinated

In addition, a child was killed and 16 injured in an attack against Jewish children in Antwerp in 1980.  A year later three were killed in an attack on a synagogue.  Then there were several attempted attacks: In Brussels in 2002 and in Charleroi, in 2003 and 2008.

And that was the result of five minutes of Googling.  All, or at least most, of those attacks were committed by "anti-Zionist" Muslims.

Israel: Result of antisemitic and anti-Israel incitement

Israeli officials placed the blame on antisemitic and anti-Israel incitement.  Incidentally, I reported two such cases just this Friday, by both politicians and anti-Israel activists.

"This act of murder is the result of constant incitement against Jews and their state. Slander and lies against the State of Israel continue to be heard on European soil even as the crimes against humanity and acts of murder being perpetrated in our region are systematically ignored. Our response to this hypocrisy is to constantly state the truth, continue a relentless fight against terrorism and build up our strength," the Prime Minister said. 

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman blamed anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement for inspiring the attack. Those who call for a boycott against Israel and those who act against Israel in international forums have contributed to this incitement, Liberman said.  

“Recent anti-Semitic incidents in Kansas, Toulouse, and this evening in Brussels, should be a flashing warning signal to all those who cooperate with such incitement by rushing rushing to condemn Israel and by comparing building a home for a Jewish family in the land of Israel with the cruel and murderous terrorist activity of anti-Semites,” Liberman said

Haaretz jumps to conclusions, blames local Muslims

Israeli left-wing paper Haaretz hurried to speculate that this was a 'lone shooter' attack by the local Muslim community, and not an international operation (which apparently scares left-wingers).  

Haaretz pointed out that there was some planning involved, as the museum is the only Jewish-linked target in the city which does not have security. Written before the identity of the victims was publicized, they also wrote that the fact that the attack occurred on a Saturday, when fewer Jews will visit the place, shows the attackers didn't completely think it through.

"We didn't want to create an atmosphere of fear"

The museum's spokesperson says that security is minimal. "Most of the visitors are not-Jewish and we didn't want to create an atmosphere of fear".

More:

• HLN
• IBA