Niser bin Muhammad Nasr Nawar
Encyclopedia
An alleged member of the Tunisian Combat Group
, Nizar bin Muhammad Nasar Nawar was accused of carrying out the 2002 Ghriba synagogue bombing
, after planning its execution while living in Montreal, Canada
.
, Nizar Nawar was a "mediocre" student who never completed high school
. His father, who moved to Lyon, France in 1971, visited the family routinely, but was unable to help his son gain an entry visa to France in 1999 since he could not prove he had the financial capacity to support him.
Nizar Nawar was not considered religious, as he drank and wore un-Islamic clothing, while traveling to Libya
to purchase cheap trinkets that he sold in Tunisian markets.
In 1999, Nizar Nawar told his family he was traveling to South Korea
to work in restaurants. Nine months later he phoned his parents "very bitter, very angry", and explained he had no money and said the restaurant had refused to pay him. He asked them to help him fly back to Tunisia.
Upon returning to Tunisia, Nawar moved to Montreal, where he told his family he'd been accepted into a travel agency
school.
In 2001, his father moved the remaining family members to France.
Nawar remained in Canada until February 2002, when he and several others traveled to Tunisia to prepare for the attack. He told his family that the others were from the travel agency.
Nawar worked at a legitimate travel agency under the alias Seif el-Islam Ettounsi while in Tunisia, where he constructed the "crude" bomb for the attack himself. During this time, he often stayed with his uncle Belgasem Nawar, who purchased the truck that was eventually used in the bombing. Just before the attack, he mailed a letter to Al Quds Al-Arabi in which he took responsibility for the attack in the name of al-Qaeda
.
Early on the morning of April 11, he and a colleague drove the truck loaded with natural gas
canisters behind a German tourist bus near the synagogue. Nawar then used a cell phone belonging to his brother, to phone Christian Ganczarski
, whom he asked to pray for him. He also had a phone call with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. After his colleague fled the scene on foot, Nawar detonated the explosives. The truck detonated at the front of the synagogue, killing 14 German
tourists, five Tunisians, and two French nationals. More than 30 others were wounded.
Following the blast, Tunisian officials identified his remains through dental records
. They initially labeled the explosion an accident, until they were made aware of the letter sent to the al-Quds media outlet and re-labeled it as an attack.
His uncle was arrested shortly after the bombing.
replaced both ministers in charge of internal security two weeks after the attack, having Hedi M'henni replace Abdallah Kaabi as Minister of the Interior, and Mahammad Hedi ben Hassine replace Mohamed Ali Ganzaoui as head of National Security.
In June, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith
spoke on al-Jazeera to confirm that the attack was carried out by Nizar Nawar with their help, since Nawar "could not see his Palestinian brothers killed while Jews walked freely in Djerba
to enjoy themselves and practice their religion".
The Boston Globe stated that his residence in Canada proved "that Canada, despite new antiterrorist measures approved by Parliament under intense pressure from the United States, remains an important haven for bin Laden's operatives"
Seven months after the attack, his parents, brother and brother-in-law were arrested in France under anti-terrorism laws, while authorities investigated if they had any connection to the bombing. There were reports that Nawar had written his brother a letter urging him to "finish what he had started, and die a martyr".
Tunisian Combat Group
The Tunisian Combat Group or Tunisian Fighting Group is or was a loose network of terrorists who aspire to install an Islamist government in Tunisia....
, Nizar bin Muhammad Nasar Nawar was accused of carrying out the 2002 Ghriba synagogue bombing
Ghriba synagogue bombing
The Ghriba synagogue bombing was a deadly bombing carried out by Niser bin Muhammad Nasar Nawar in Tunisia on the El Ghriba synagogue.On April 11, 2002, a natural gas truck fitted with explosives drove past security barriers at the ancient Ghriba Synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba...
, after planning its execution while living in Montreal, Canada
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Life
Raised by his mother in Ben GardaneBen Gardane
Ben Gardane is a commune and coastal town in south eastern Tunisia, close to the border with Libya. It is located at around .The town is part of the Medenine governorate. Located 423 km - 559 km by road - from Tunis, it is the city furthest from the capital....
, Nizar Nawar was a "mediocre" student who never completed high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. His father, who moved to Lyon, France in 1971, visited the family routinely, but was unable to help his son gain an entry visa to France in 1999 since he could not prove he had the financial capacity to support him.
Nizar Nawar was not considered religious, as he drank and wore un-Islamic clothing, while traveling to Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
to purchase cheap trinkets that he sold in Tunisian markets.
In 1999, Nizar Nawar told his family he was traveling to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
to work in restaurants. Nine months later he phoned his parents "very bitter, very angry", and explained he had no money and said the restaurant had refused to pay him. He asked them to help him fly back to Tunisia.
Upon returning to Tunisia, Nawar moved to Montreal, where he told his family he'd been accepted into a travel agency
Travel agency
A travel agency is a retail business that sells travel related products and services to customers on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and package holidays that combine several products...
school.
In 2001, his father moved the remaining family members to France.
Nawar remained in Canada until February 2002, when he and several others traveled to Tunisia to prepare for the attack. He told his family that the others were from the travel agency.
Attack
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
.
Early on the morning of April 11, he and a colleague drove the truck loaded with natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
canisters behind a German tourist bus near the synagogue. Nawar then used a cell phone belonging to his brother, to phone Christian Ganczarski
Christian Ganczarski
Christian Ganczarski, born 1966 in Gliwice, Silesia, Poland, is a German citizen of Polish ancestry who converted to Islam. He is one of the individuals who has been described as the head of "al Qaeda in Europe"...
, whom he asked to pray for him. He also had a phone call with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. After his colleague fled the scene on foot, Nawar detonated the explosives. The truck detonated at the front of the synagogue, killing 14 German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
tourists, five Tunisians, and two French nationals. More than 30 others were wounded.
Following the blast, Tunisian officials identified his remains through dental records
Dental Records
Dental Records is a small, independent record label, based in Ipswich, UK.-Releases:*DRCD0501 The Ballistics - Allow Me To Demonstrate*DRCD0601 Singled Out - Hardcore Seanography*DRCD0602 The Ballistics - The Spirit Of Kelso Cochrane...
. They initially labeled the explosion an accident, until they were made aware of the letter sent to the al-Quds media outlet and re-labeled it as an attack.
His uncle was arrested shortly after the bombing.
Aftermath
Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben AliZine El Abidine Ben Ali
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali is a Tunisian political figure who was the second President of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011. Ben Ali was appointed Prime Minister in October 1987, and he assumed the Presidency on 7 November 1987 in a bloodless coup d'état that ousted President Habib Bourguiba, who was...
replaced both ministers in charge of internal security two weeks after the attack, having Hedi M'henni replace Abdallah Kaabi as Minister of the Interior, and Mahammad Hedi ben Hassine replace Mohamed Ali Ganzaoui as head of National Security.
In June, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith is a Kuwaiti Islamist regarded as one of Al-Qaida's official spokesmen.-Activities during the 1991 Gulf War:Abu Ghaith first gained attention during the 1990–1991 Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait...
spoke on al-Jazeera to confirm that the attack was carried out by Nizar Nawar with their help, since Nawar "could not see his Palestinian brothers killed while Jews walked freely in Djerba
Djerba
Djerba , also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is, at 514 km², the largest island of North Africa, located in the Gulf of Gabes, off the coast of Tunisia.-Description:...
to enjoy themselves and practice their religion".
The Boston Globe stated that his residence in Canada proved "that Canada, despite new antiterrorist measures approved by Parliament under intense pressure from the United States, remains an important haven for bin Laden's operatives"
Seven months after the attack, his parents, brother and brother-in-law were arrested in France under anti-terrorism laws, while authorities investigated if they had any connection to the bombing. There were reports that Nawar had written his brother a letter urging him to "finish what he had started, and die a martyr".