Monday's shooting attack in Toulouse, France, stands as a reminder that Jews face terrorist threats anywhere in the world, recently retired Israeli counterterror chief
Nitzal Nuriel warns.
At least four people were killed — three of them children — when a helmeted gunman hopped off a moped and opened fire outside a Jewish school in Toulouse Monday morning. A man fitting a similar description killed three soldiers in separate attacks in the region last week.
Some reports indicate the same gun was used in all three attacks.
Three of the four dead include a teacher at the school and his two young children. French President Nikolai Sarkozy vowed to catch those responsible.
"You cannot murder children like this on the territory of the republic without being held to account," he said. "Today is a day of national tragedy."
"I want to say to all the leaders of the Jewish community, how close we feel to them. All of France is by their side," Sarkozy said.
Though the killer's connection is not yet known, Nuriel told the Jerusalem Post that a coalition of terrorist groups has agreed to strike Israeli and Jewish targets anywhere possible. "They attack whoever they can and wherever security is lax," he said.
Israeli and American security officials have warned Jewish organizations in the United States that they could be targeted in future terrorist attacks, especially if Iran or Hezbollah decide to strike here.
Steven Emerson is executive director of The Investigative Project on Terrorism. Emerson was a correspondent for CNN and a senior editor at U.S. News and World Report. Read more reports from Steve Emerson — Click Here Now.
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