TUNIS/TOKYO: twin suicide attacks targeting security forces have struck Tunisia’s capital, killing a patrol officer and injuring at least eight people.One attacker detonated explosives in a busy commercial district near the French embassy in Tunis shortly before 11am on Thursday, apparently targeting a police patrol. One of the officers died from his injuries and another was injured, along with three bystanders.A second bomber struck at an entrance to the anti-terrorism brigade on the outskirts of the city at about the same time. Four officers were hospitalised with injuries.An AFP correspondent saw body parts strewn in the road around a police car after the first attack, which took place on Habib Bourguiba, a central avenue near the old city. “It was a suicide attack,” interior ministry spokesman Sofiene Zaag told AFP.The attacks come as the country was plunged into uncertainty with the hospitalisation of President Beji Caid Essebsi who was said to be in “critical condition”. He was transferred to the military hospital in Tunis”. Key adviser Firas Guefrech described the 92-year-old leader as in “critical condition” and in a later tweet said that Essebsi was “stable”, urging supporters to pray for his recovery.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks. Civil protection units and police rapidly deployed to Habib Bourguiba avenue, where the interior ministry is located. Some passersby fainted while others fled in panic as shops and offices were closed by the police. Some people crowded around the scene of the attack, expressing anger at the authorities. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron strongly condemned the attack.
06-28-2019, 11:58 AM
1 dead, 8 hurt in twin suicide attacks in Tunis
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