Unidentified gunmen attacked the Israeli Embassy in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott on Feb. 1. Several bystanders at a nearby nightclub — including at least one French national — were wounded in the attack, which caused no casualties to embassy personnel. Witnesses said between three and six men dressed in turbans and robes approached the embassy on foot after exiting a nearby vehicle, then opened fire on the building at approximately 2 a.m. local time. The embassy guards quickly returned fire, and the gunmen fled without being captured. Although Mauritanians historically have been involved with the global jihadist movement, the country does not have a history of sustained militant activity carried out by local groups. However, these latest attacks do not appear to be the work of a well-organized group, but rather a fledgling node of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al Qaeda's North African node.