Tunisia arrests 12 suspects tied to beach attack
July 2, 2015
A Tunisian official announced on Thursday that police arrested 12 suspects linked to the deadly attack in Mediterranean resort town of Sousse.
The announcement comes amid growing pressure on Tunisia to boost security after two separate attacks in 2015 left more than 50 dead, many of them European tourists.
"This is a group who were trained in Libya, and who had the same objective. Two attacked the Bardo and one attacked Sousse," said Lazhar Akremi, minister of parliamentary relations, at a press briefing on Wednesday, reported Reuters news agency.
"Police are hunting for two more," Akremi added.
Rising threat?
Friday's attack on a beach resort in Sousse left 38 people dead, mostly British tourists. Tunisian student Seifeddine Rezgui, who opened fire on a beach where tourists were vacationing, had reportedly been trained in Libya at a militant camp.
A separate attack on the National Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis in March left at least 20 people dead.
Tunisia has been hailed as one of the most successful models of democracy following the Arab Spring, which led to the ouster of longstanding President Zine al-Abidine Ben-Ali. However, recent terrorist attacks have cast doubts over its ability to cope with growing radicalism on its soil.
More than 3,000 Tunisians have left the Mediterranean country to fight with militant groups in Iraq, Syria, and neighboring Libya, including the "Islamic State," according to Reuters.
The Tunisian government is expected to hold a press conference on Thursday to discuss ongoing investigations into the Sousse attack.
ls/kms (AP, Reuters)