By DPA
Nouakchott/Tel Aviv : Gunmen opened fire at the Israeli embassy in the Mauritanian capital in the early hours of Friday, Mauritanian police sources and Israeli officials said.
The gunmen shouted “God is Great” in Arabic and fired at the embassy at around 2.20 a.m. The Mauritanian soldiers guarding the building responded to the fire, and a brief gun battle ensued, waking up the Israeli ambassador and his staff.
Ambassador to Mauritania Boaz Bismut said no one had been injured at the embassy. But up to three clients of a nearby restaurant sustained minor injuries, Mauritanian reports quoted witnesses as saying.
Mauritanian police sources estimated the number of attackers at six. They fled by car before police were able to arrest any of them.
The identity of the attackers was not known, but it was suspected they could have links with the Al Qaeda terror network.
The attack came after widespread demonstrations in the Islamic republic against Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip, which Bismut said was widely covered in the local media in a “blunt and I would even say exaggerated” way.
The protesters demanded the West African nation cut off its diplomatic ties with Israel.
“All the people at the embassy, both Mauritanians and Israelis, are ok,” Bismut told Israel Radio. “The gunfire was heard very well,” he said, adding: “it lasted several minutes”.
He later told Israel Army Radio: “Israel and Mauritania have had full diplomatic relations since 1999 – both countries understand the severity of the incident.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni telephoned Bismut, and Foreign Ministry Director Aharon Abramovitch said Israel’s ties with Mauritania were “important” to the Jewish state.
He expressed hope they would be broadened further in the future, as a result of the renewed peace process with the Palestinians.
Apart from Egypt and Jordan, Mauritania is the only member of the Arab League to have full diplomatic relations with Israel.
The attack came weeks after organisers cancelled the Lisbon-Dakar Rally due to security concerns following the Dec 24 killing of four French tourists while picnicking in Mauritania.
The government blamed the incident on Islamist militants linked to Al Qaeda.