At least 11 people were killed in an attack on a bus carrying the Presidential Guard in the Tunisian Capital, according to Tunisian state media. The number of deaths are expected to rise, with figures ranging from 11 to 15 killed in various news reports.
Tunisian President Essebsi is set to deliver a speech to the nation Tuesday evening. Essebsi cancelled an official visit to Switzerland scheduled for Wednesday in the wake of the attack, state-owned Al-Ahram reported. Details regarding the circumstances and the cause of the attack have yet to surface.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Ambassador to Tunisia confirmed the safety of an Egyptian delegation consisting of around 20 artists participating in the International Festival of Carthage in Tunisia.
A week earlier, Tunisian police foiled an attack in the resort of Sousse, after it raided a terrorist cell as they were preparing attacks against vital installations.
Officials said 17 extremists, believed to have been trained in Syria and Libya, were arrested in the week preceding the foiled attack. The militants were reportedly awaiting orders to carry out assaults on politicians, beaches and landmark buildings during November.
Police forces seized weapons during the arrests, including Kalashnikov rifles, explosives and a bomb belt.
“Islamic State” militant group had claimed responsibility for two major attacks in Tunisia this year. In March, gunmen attacked the Bardo Museum in Tunis, claiming the lives of 23 people. Sousse was the site of the second attacks, as 38 foreigners were killed in a mass shooting by armed gunmen at a beach resort in June.
Meanwhile, the “Islamic State”-affiliate in Egypt ‘State of Sinai’ claimed the attack against a hotel in North Sinai hosting election Judges on Tuesday, leaving seven people dead.
