WJC praises investigative work

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The World Jewish Congress has welcomed the arrest of the suspected gunman in the May 24 shooting at the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels, which killed three people and gravely injured another.

Ronald Lauder

“We welcome the arrest of a suspect in this heinous crime and praise the prompt work of the French and Belgian authorities,” said WJC President Ronald S. Lauder. “We have to ask, however, why such a murderous antisemitic attack can happen in broad daylight in a European capital, just two years after a similar attack in Toulouse, France. European governments must face the stark reality that jihadist warfare is a reality in their streets, and must train their efforts on preventing the spread of hate and apprehending terrorists before they act, rather than reacting after an incident occurs.

“Governments need to engage in constructive dialogue with WJC on this and related issues,” Lauder continued. “Tomorrow, we will bring a solidarity mission to Brussels of 38 senior Jewish leaders from 16 communities, and we will take this message to the highest levels of the Belgian government.”

Police in France have arrested Mehdi Nemmouche, a 29-year-old French national, who they said returned to France from Brussels via bus. Nemmouche recently spent a year in Syria and is a radicalized Islamist, the chief prosecutor of Paris said at a news conference on Sunday.