An Israeli national was stabbed to death in the Moroccan city of Tangier, according to reports from the North African nation on Wednesday.
According to some reports, the Israeli national, who owns a kosher restaurant in the city, brought food to a homeless person who suddenly attacked him. Moroccan news website Tanjanews reported that the homeless man stabbed the 60-year-old after he refused to give him a job at the restaurant.
Footage of security forces at the murder scene in Tangier, Morocco
(Video: Tanjanews)
Another report stated that the attacker had a criminal background and may also be suffering from mental issues. The attacker is said to have stabbed the restaurant owner — who was described as a Jew with "foreign citizenship" — with a small knife.
Local police have launched an investigation and have reportedly arrested the 36-year-old suspect. Investigators examine whether there was an anti-Semitic motive behind the attack.
The Foreign Ministry and the International Unit at ZAKA — an Israeli emergency response group — are working to release the body of the deceased and bring him for burial in Israel.
Morocco's Jewish population is estimated at 2,500, most of them residing in Casablanca. There are also tiny Jewish communities in the capital of Rabat and several other cities.
The North African kingdom agreed last year to normalize ties with Israel as part of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords.
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Foreign Minister Yair Lapid inaugurates Israeli diplomatic mission in Rabat during Morocco state visit
(Photo: GPO)
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid traveled to Morocco earlier this month and inaugurated an Israeli diplomatic mission in Rabat. Lapid said that Israel and Morocco would upgrade their relations to full diplomatic ties and open embassies in each others’ countries within two months.
The Israeli envoy also added that diplomatic relations with Morocco, along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Egypt form a strategic regional alliance against Iran.