Jewish Museum to re-open on Sunday

The Jewish Museum of Belgium will re-open its doors on Sunday, almost four months after a terrorist attack in which four people were killed.

The re-opening of the museum in downtown Brussels (pictured) follows the introduction of a number of security measures. Police will now be posted at the entrance, and visitors will have to pass through a metal detector.

On May 24, an armed man entered the museum and began shooting. Two visitors and a volunteer were killed on the spot; a museum employee died later of his injuries. A commemorative plaque now hangs in the entrance in memory of the victims “who were murdered in a cowardly manner by a terrorist”.

The suspect, Mehdi, was arrested a week later in France and remains in custody in Belgium.

Brussels-City mayor Yvan Mayeur announced a grant of €30,000 to the museum for the cost of the mobile portal and a security guard. The museum has already announced plans – dating from before the attack – to demolish part of the building and rebuild. The museum board chair said the works would begin at the end of 2015, with security features included.

“The museum was originally built in a spirit of openness,” he said. “It’s a pity that now has to change.”

In related news, witnesses have recently come forward to claim that Nemmouche was a guard at a prison run by the notorious Islamic State (IS) in Syria, where he was responsible for beating and torturing prisoners. According to the statements of four French nationals kidnapped by IS earlier this year, Nemmouche was also planning an attack in Paris to take place on July 21.