A state of emergency has been declared in Tunisia just over a week after 38 tourists, mainly British, died in an attack in the resort city of Sousse.
The state of emergency gives security forces more powers and limits the right of public assembly.
Tunisian authorities had already tightened security, deploying more than 1,400 armed officers at hotels and beaches.
President Beji Caid Essebsi said in a national address that “exceptional measures” were needed.
“In order to face up to this scourge we need to be prepared. We need to have enough troops, proper training and material means – we are in desperate need of material means,” he said, appealing for international counter-terrorism support and co-operation.
The state of emergency will be in place for a renewable period of 30 days.
An official from PM Habib Essid’s office said several officials had been sacked in the wake of the attack, including the governor of Sousse.
“Just as there have been security failures, there have also been political failures,” Dhafer Neji told AFP.
Security forces were criticized for not responding more quickly to the attack on June 26 in Sousse, when a gunman opened fire on tourists on a beach and in a hotel before being shot dead by police.
The gunman has been identified as student Seifeddine Rezgui, who authorities say had trained in Libya.
PM Habib Essid said Seifeddine Rezgui had probably trained with the Ansar al-Sharia group, though Islamic State (ISIS) earlier said it was behind the attack.
Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Seifeddine Rezgui, and the government says it has uncovered the network behind the Sousse attack.
Authorities have also pledged to close some 80 mosques that were operating outside government control and accused of spreading extremism.
The last time Tunisia declared a state of emergency was in 2011, in the uprising which overthrew President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. It was lifted in March 2014.
Officials are expected to pass a counter-terrorism bill that has been in parliament since early 2014 in the coming weeks.
Eight people, including a woman, remain in Tunisian police custody on suspicion of being directly linked to the deadly attack on tourists in Sousse, a minister has announced.
Four other people who had been detained have been released, he added.
Thirty-eight tourists were killed when gunman Sefeddine Rezgui opened fire on a beach.
ISIS militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Thirty of the victims were British citizens.
Tunisia’s government fears the attack will destroy its tourism industry, the country’s biggest foreign currency earner.
In March, two gunmen killed 22 people at the famous Bardo museum in Tunisia’s capital, Tunis.
Government minister Kamel Jendoubi said at a media conference that investigations had “allowed us to discover the network behind the operation in Sousse”.
Kamel Jendoubi did not elaborate on the identities of the suspects or their alleged role.
He said ten UK investigators were assisting with the investigation, the AFP news agency reports.
Kamel Jendoubi also said that Tunisia has deployed 1,377 armed security agents at hotels and on beaches to guarantee the safety of people, AFP reports.
Tunisian authorities have identified 23-year-old student Seifeddine Rezgui as the gunman who carried out the attack.
Police have released photos of two suspects, Bin Abdallah and Rafkhe Talari – friends of Seifeddine Rezgui whom they are yet to locate.
Tunisian officials believe both the Sousse and Bardo museum gunmen were trained in Libya, which has been mostly lawless since NATO-led forces overthrew long-serving ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
ISIS has built a significant presence in Libya, Tunisia’s eastern neighbor, and is thought to control the major towns of Derna and Sirte.
Tunisian authorities have arrested twelve suspects in connection with the deadly attack in Sousse, an official has said.
Security forces were still hunting for two men suspected of having trained in Libya with gunman Seifeddine Rezgui who killed 38 people, he added.
Most of those killed on a beach in Sousse were British, along with other European holidaymakers.
ISIS militant group has claimed the attack as its own.
Tunisia’s government fears the attack will destroy its tourism industry, the country’s biggest foreign currency earner.
In March, two gunmen killed 22 people at the famous Bardo museum in Tunisia’s capital, Tunis.
“This is a group who were trained in Libya, and who had the same objective. Two attacked the Bardo and one attacked Sousse,” Lazhar Akremi, minister for parliamentary relations, said, Reuters news agency reports.
“Police are hunting for two more,” he is quoted as saying.
Lazhar Akremi did not say when the arrests were made.
Tunisian authorities have identified 23-year-old student Seifeddine Rezgui as the gunman who carried out the attack.
They have released photos of two suspects, Bin Abdallah and Rafkhe Talari – friends of Seifeddine Rezgui that the police have yet to locate.
ISIS has a significant presence in Libya, Tunisia’s eastern neighbor, and is thought to control the major towns of Derna and Sirte.
The names of those killed in the attack are being released as well as those who are injured and missing.
New footage has emerged of the attack at the Tunisian resort of Sousse on June 26, which left 38 people, mostly tourists, dead.
It was filmed by a staff member at one of the hotels where the shootings took place.
The unnamed hotel worker chased Seifeddine Rezgui moments after he slaughtered 38 innocent tourists including 18 Britons.
The man can be seen running after Seifeddine Rezgui as the ISIS militant selects his targets.
At one point he even picks up what appears to be a bottle of olive oil as he attempts to sneak up behind the 23-year-old assassin to disarm him.
The 11-minute video was released as Tunisia made its first arrests in connection with the terror attack.
Tunisia’s Interior Minister Najem Gharsalli said: “We have started by arresting a first group, a significant number of people, from the network that was behind this terrorist criminal.”
Najem Gharsalli added that officials were still verifying whether Seifeddine Rezgui had been trained in Libya in jihadist camps.
A group of people have been arrested in Tunisia over the massacre of 38 people, mainly tourists, by gunman Seifeddine Rezgui at the beach resort of Sousse on June 26, the country’s interior minister has said.
Mohamed Gharsalli said 1,000 troops would now be deployed to protect Tunisia’s beach resorts.
Three European ministers have laid flowers at the scene of the attack in a sign of solidarity.
Islamic State (ISIS) has said it was behind the attack.
“We have started by arresting a first group, a significant number of people, from the network that was behind this terrorist criminal,” said Mohamed Gharsalli, referring to Seifeddine Rezgui.
Tunisian authorities say Seifeddine Rezgui was the only attacker, but he had accomplices who provided him with weapons and logistical support, reports AP news agency.
“We are friends against one enemy,” said Mohamed Gharsalli, addressing his counterparts from the UK, Germany and France.
Seifeddine Rezgui came onto the beach from the sea either by jet ski or speedboat at about midday on June 26. He started shooting on the beach, entered the Hotel Imperial Marhaba and ran out of the front of the hotel before the police shot him dead.
The attack was the deadliest in Tunisia’s recent history. In March, militants killed 22 people, mainly foreigners, at the Bardo museum in the capital Tunis.
Tunisian authorities say army reservists will be deployed to tourist sites and that about 80 mosques accused of inciting violence will be closed within a week.
According to the Tunisian authorities, terrorist Seifeddine Rezgui had help in carrying out the attack at Sousse holiday resort.
They believe the suspected accomplices provided the Kalashnikov assault rifle to Seifeddine Rezgui and helped him get to the scene, interior ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui told AP.
Mohamed Ali Aoui said Seifeddine Rezgui’s father and three friends he lived with in Kairouan, where he studied, had been detained for questioning.
Holiday companies put on extra flights over the weekend for people wanting to return home. Flights to Tunisia have also been cancelled.
The Tunisian government has brought in increased security measures.
A total of 38 people were killed on June 26 on a beach near Sousse by the gunman with links to Islamic State (ISIS) extremists.
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
