10:03: According to preliminary information, there has been a drive-by shooting attack in a Jewish school in Toulouse, the southwest region of France. French media reports at least four dead. There are children among the dead and wounded.
Additional information to follow.
10:17: According to a BBC News breaking report, eyewitnesses reporting a man opened fire on people waiting at a school drop-off point and then fled on a motorbike.
Zaka has released a message that the death count may be as high as six.
10:25: Israel Radio is reporting that the final report from the shooting scene is three dead and two injured. The attack occurred at the Otzar HaTorah School in Toulouse France. The shooter fled on a two-wheeled motorized vehicle. No more at this time.
10:36: Israel Radio reports that two of the dead are children. The BBC is reporting that some of the injured are “badly wounded”. The shooting attack occurred in the Joliment area of the city.
10:41: Israel Radio reporting that a Jewish professor and two of his children were murdered in the shooting attack. At least two other children are in very serious condition. Additional security has been ordered for other Jewish schools in the city.
The shooter used two weapons, including a 9mm. The attack took place at the entrance to the Otzar HaTorah School situated in the Joliment area of the city.
10:47: BBC: This attack occurred only days after three soldiers were murdered by gunfire by a man on a scooter in the same part of France.
A 30-year-old paratrooper was gunned down in a residential area of Toulouse just over a week ago, while two soldiers were killed and a third wounded as they used a cashpoint in the town of Montauban, some 29 miles (46km) away, on Thursday.
Maxime Meunier, a correspondent at the scene for the French television network BFM, said people in the area were linking the latest shootings to the attacks on the soldiers.
10:51: AFP reports that France’s Interior Minister Claude Gueant has ordered increased security for all French Jewish schools as he heads to attack area.
11:02: French President Nicolas Sarkozy is making his way to Toulouse. France’s Chief Rabbi Gilles Bernheim has expressed outrage over the attack. Israel Foreign Ministry officials report they are monitoring events, adding they have total confidence in French officials and that law enforcement will bring the shooter to justice.
11:17: French prosecutor Michel Valet said there were ‘several dead’ following the shooting. Parent Patrick Rouimi told Toulouse newspaper, La Depeche, that the gunman targeted people at an informal pick up point for the school. The daughter of one of the school’s directors, Charles Ben Goulding, was also believed to be among the dead.
11:25: The second weapon used by the shooter was a 45 caliber.
12:20: The death toll in the shooting attack has risen to four.
12:35: The teacher murdered in the shooting attack is reportedly a 30-year-old Israeli national. Also murdered were his two children, 3 and 6-years-old as well as another child estimated to be about 9-10-years-old. A 17-year-old is reported to be in very serious condition.
Toulouse is a major Jewish center, with an estimated 25,000 Jews. The site of the shooting attack, the Otzar HaTorah School is a central location for the local Jewish community. Israel Radio reports that the gunfire rang out as people were heading from the shul to the school building.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
please say Tehilim for Gabriel Yissachar ben Chava Malka and Myriam Bat Yafa, 2 children injured in the horrible shooting this morning in a school in Toulouse, France. May all our tefilot be answered!!
There are names for tehilim : Gabriel Ben Yonasan
Myriam bas Yaffa
Yonasan Ben Avrohom
I’ll try to post additional names when available …
I think that myriam bas yaffa passed away… BDE! She was 8 years old!!!
Say tehilim for aaron Ben Leah!!
I know the three names I gave … They all passed away … H”yd !!!
Wake up Yidden.
At the very least we need ARMED security at every Jewish school and every shul!!!
Yes, I know it’s expensive. Are funerals cheaper?
AinOhdMilvado: Your name would imply that you don’t really believe armed guards would have prevented this from happening and would have certainly, or could in the future, saved on funeral costs.
@ainohdmilvado
“Wake up Yidden. At the very least we need ARMED security at every Jewish school and every shul!!! Yes, I know it’s expensive. Are funerals cheaper?”
You got the first part right we deffinetly have to WAKE UP!!, but your wrong about the seconds part yes we can try to strengthen our school security but that won’t help if we don’t daven and beg hashem to end these tzores how many gedolim in critical condition and how many children have been murdered since last rosh hashanah? Wake up ?yes ,we need to ask our rabbis to each his own what is the problem we need to be working on or cv”s I’m scared to find out the outcome.
In part since there is circumstantial evidence the same terrorist shot several French soldiers a few days ago, this will be taken very seriously (though it isn’t clear if it was by French neo-nazis or “fanatic” Muslims – apparently the soldiers who were shot were not ethnically French).
#7 and #8…
There is no doubt that we have much to work on in terms of Torah learning, tefila, shmiras hamitzvos, doing teshuva. I agree 100%.
BUT… we are not supposed to be somaiych on neesim either. We are obligated to do OUR hishtadlus, and in view of what is going on in the world today, at least part of that hishtadlus is ARMED security people for our schools and shuls.