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Four Killed in Brussels Jewish Museum Shooting

An Israeli couple and two members of museum staff killed; suspect at large

by
Stephanie Butnick
May 25, 2014
Flowers are pictured at a makeshift memorial at the entrance of the Jewish Museum in Brussels, on May 25, 2014, where a deadly shooting took place the day before. (GEORGES GOBET/AFP/Getty Images)
Flowers are pictured at a makeshift memorial at the entrance of the Jewish Museum in Brussels, on May 25, 2014, where a deadly shooting took place the day before. (GEORGES GOBET/AFP/Getty Images)

A gunman entered the Brussels Jewish Museum yesterday, killing three people and critically wounding a fourth, who died from his injuries hours later.

The AP reports, “Interior Minister Joelle Milquet told reporters that the shooter apparently parked a car outside before entering the Jewish Museum. She added the gunman ‘apparently fired rather quickly, went outside and left.’ ” Police are currently looking for the suspect.

Two of the victims were Mira and Emmanuel Riva, an Israeli couple visiting Brussels. The Times of Israel reports that they were on a private walking tour of the city when the shooting occurred. They have two teenage daughters in Tel Aviv.

The third immediate victim was a female volunteer at the museum, and the fourth was a 23-year-old museum employee named Alexandre Strens.

Security at Jewish institutions across Belgium has been raised to high levels, Reuters reports. Belgium’s Jewish population is approximately 42,000 people, half of whom live in Brussels.

Pope Francis, currently visiting Israel, condemned the attack in a speech in Tel Aviv.

Stephanie Butnick is chief strategy officer of Tablet Magazine, co-founder of Tablet Studios, and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.