ISIS claims responsibility for deadly Tunisia museum attack
ISIS claims responsibility for deadly Tunisia museum attack, The Islamic State claimed responsibility Thursday for an attack on a popular museum in Tunisia that left 23 people dead a day earlier, according to an audio recording posted online.
Thursday's statement described the attack as a "blessed invasion of one of the dens of infidels and vice in Muslim Tunisia," and appeared on a forum that carries messages from the group, The Associated Press reports.
The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group also announced that ISIS had claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack.
Earlier Thursday, Tunisian police arrested nine people in connection with the violence, sources in Tunisia told Fox News.
A statement from Tunisia's presidential office said that five of those arrested were directly connected to the operation, which involved two gunmen attacking the National Bardo Museum in the country's capital, Tunis. Four other suspects were linked to the attackers and were based outside the capital.
The statement described the attackers as a "cell," but did not give any further information or note if they were part of a larger group.
Newly-elected Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi said Wednesday that Tunisia was "in a war with terror." He condemned what he described as "savage minority groups" after gunmen stormed the museum.
Hours after the police ended the siege, thousands of Tunisians flocked to downtown's landmark Bourguiba Avenue, where the 2011 revolution took place, for a nighttime rally. They chanted for a "Free Tunisia" in defiance of terrorism.
"I want the people of Tunisia to understand firstly and lastly that we are in a war with terror, and these savage minority groups will not frighten us," said Essebsi in a televised address to the nation. "The fight against them will continue until they are exterminated."
Meanwhile, early Thursday, the country's prime minister told French radio station RTL that one of the attackers was known to the country's intelligence services, but no formal link had been established with any terror groups.
The deadliest attack on civilians in the North African country since 2002 began early Wednesday afternoon when two militants wearing military-style uniforms and wielding assault rifles burst from a vehicle and began gunning down tourists climbing out of buses at the museum.
The attackers, identified as Yassine Laabidi and Hatem Khachnaoui, then charged inside to take hostages before being killed in a firefight with security forces. Prime Minister Habib Essid said that said Laabidi had been flagged to intelligence, although not for "anything special."
Security forces guarded major thoroughfares Thursday while authorities hunted for two or three accomplices believed to have been involved in the attack.
One cruise ship whose passengers had been among the victims pulled out of the port of Tunis early Thursday. MSC Cruises said nine passengers from the Splendida were killed, 12 were injured and six were unaccounted for. Another ship, the Costa Fascinosa, said 13 passengers had not returned on board when the ship left port overnight.
Essid said the gunmen killed 18 tourists total — including four from Italy, two from Colombia, two from Spain, and one each from Australia, Poland and France. Japan’s government said three of its citizens were killed.
Five Tunisians also were killed, including two attackers. Health Minister Said Aidi said all the injuries came from bullet wounds, and that several victims were brought in without identity documents.
At least 44 people were wounded, including tourists from Italy, France, Japan, South Africa, Poland, Belgium and Russia, according to Essid and doctors from Tunis' Charles Nicolle hospital.
Twitter accounts associated with the Islamic State terror group based in Syria and Iraq were described as overjoyed at the attack, urging Tunisians to "follow their brothers," according to Rita Katz of SITE, a U.S.-based organization that monitors militant groups.
ISIS is not believed to have a foothold in Tunisia, but has established a presence in neighboring Libya and Algeria. A counterterror analyst told Fox News that the museum attack may be linked to the death of Ahmed Rouissi, a senior ISIS commander in Libya whose body was found last week near the city of Sirte. Rouissi was a leading member of Tunisia's Ansar al-Sharia group and believed to be responsible for the killing of two Tunisian opposition leaders in 2013.
A disproportionately large number of Tunisian recruits — some 3,000, according to government estimates — have joined ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq and many have received training in Libya.
Witnesses described the gunmen "shooting at anything that moved" inside the museum, which is Tunisia's largest. It is housed in a 15th century palace and boasts one of the world's largest collections of ancient Roman mosaics.
Josep Lluis Cusido, the mayor of the Spanish town of Vallmoll, said he saw people being gunned down on the plaza outside the museum before the gunmen moved inside.
"After they entered the museum, I saw their faces: They were about 10 meters [32 feet] away from me," Cusido told Spain's Cadena Ser radio station.
"I managed to hide behind a pillar; there were unlucky people who they killed right there," he said, adding that he and his wife spent nearly three hours in the museum until they got out safely.
Dozens of tourists scrambled from the museum, linking arms or clutching children as Tunisian police and security forces pointed their weapons at the building. The museum, about 2 miles from the city center, is located near the national parliament building, which was evacuated.
A Spanish man and a pregnant Spanish woman who had been inside the museum during the attack hid in the building all night in fear and were retrieved safely Thursday morning by security forces, Aidi told The Associated Press.
Essid said the attack was an unprecedented assault on the economy. It came as Tunisia's all-important tourism business was starting to rebuild after drastic losses following the post-revolutionary turmoil. Numbers of arrivals for 2014 had begun to approach the levels of 2010 — before the revolution.
On Wednesday night, parliament held an extraordinary session where Speaker Mohammed Ennaceur called for the creation of a special fund to combat terrorism. He also called for the rapid passage of the anti-terror law that parliament had been debating when the attack took place.
The United States, France, the United Arab Emirates and the United Nations denounced the bloodshed. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington "condemns in the strongest possible terms today's deadly terrorist attack" and praised Tunisia's "rapid response" to resolve the hostage situation and restore calm.
Speaking at the Louvre museum in Paris to call for international efforts to preserve the heritage of Iraq and Syria against extremist destruction, French President Francois Hollande said he had called Tunisia's president to offer support and solidarity.
"Each time a terrorist crime is committed, we are all concerned," Hollande said.
North Africa analyst Geoff Porter said an attack on a tourism site has long been expected, as the militants come under pressure from increasingly effective Tunisian security forces.
"Today's attack did not come out of nowhere. In fact, it comes amid ongoing counterterrorism efforts elsewhere in the country," he said about the attack. "Increasing pressure on terrorist activities ... may have squeezed the balloon, with terrorists seeking softer targets with more symbolic impact in the capital."
Thursday's statement described the attack as a "blessed invasion of one of the dens of infidels and vice in Muslim Tunisia," and appeared on a forum that carries messages from the group, The Associated Press reports.
The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group also announced that ISIS had claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack.
Earlier Thursday, Tunisian police arrested nine people in connection with the violence, sources in Tunisia told Fox News.
A statement from Tunisia's presidential office said that five of those arrested were directly connected to the operation, which involved two gunmen attacking the National Bardo Museum in the country's capital, Tunis. Four other suspects were linked to the attackers and were based outside the capital.
The statement described the attackers as a "cell," but did not give any further information or note if they were part of a larger group.
Newly-elected Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi said Wednesday that Tunisia was "in a war with terror." He condemned what he described as "savage minority groups" after gunmen stormed the museum.
Hours after the police ended the siege, thousands of Tunisians flocked to downtown's landmark Bourguiba Avenue, where the 2011 revolution took place, for a nighttime rally. They chanted for a "Free Tunisia" in defiance of terrorism.
"I want the people of Tunisia to understand firstly and lastly that we are in a war with terror, and these savage minority groups will not frighten us," said Essebsi in a televised address to the nation. "The fight against them will continue until they are exterminated."
Meanwhile, early Thursday, the country's prime minister told French radio station RTL that one of the attackers was known to the country's intelligence services, but no formal link had been established with any terror groups.
The deadliest attack on civilians in the North African country since 2002 began early Wednesday afternoon when two militants wearing military-style uniforms and wielding assault rifles burst from a vehicle and began gunning down tourists climbing out of buses at the museum.
The attackers, identified as Yassine Laabidi and Hatem Khachnaoui, then charged inside to take hostages before being killed in a firefight with security forces. Prime Minister Habib Essid said that said Laabidi had been flagged to intelligence, although not for "anything special."
Security forces guarded major thoroughfares Thursday while authorities hunted for two or three accomplices believed to have been involved in the attack.
One cruise ship whose passengers had been among the victims pulled out of the port of Tunis early Thursday. MSC Cruises said nine passengers from the Splendida were killed, 12 were injured and six were unaccounted for. Another ship, the Costa Fascinosa, said 13 passengers had not returned on board when the ship left port overnight.
Essid said the gunmen killed 18 tourists total — including four from Italy, two from Colombia, two from Spain, and one each from Australia, Poland and France. Japan’s government said three of its citizens were killed.
Five Tunisians also were killed, including two attackers. Health Minister Said Aidi said all the injuries came from bullet wounds, and that several victims were brought in without identity documents.
At least 44 people were wounded, including tourists from Italy, France, Japan, South Africa, Poland, Belgium and Russia, according to Essid and doctors from Tunis' Charles Nicolle hospital.
Twitter accounts associated with the Islamic State terror group based in Syria and Iraq were described as overjoyed at the attack, urging Tunisians to "follow their brothers," according to Rita Katz of SITE, a U.S.-based organization that monitors militant groups.
ISIS is not believed to have a foothold in Tunisia, but has established a presence in neighboring Libya and Algeria. A counterterror analyst told Fox News that the museum attack may be linked to the death of Ahmed Rouissi, a senior ISIS commander in Libya whose body was found last week near the city of Sirte. Rouissi was a leading member of Tunisia's Ansar al-Sharia group and believed to be responsible for the killing of two Tunisian opposition leaders in 2013.
A disproportionately large number of Tunisian recruits — some 3,000, according to government estimates — have joined ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq and many have received training in Libya.
Witnesses described the gunmen "shooting at anything that moved" inside the museum, which is Tunisia's largest. It is housed in a 15th century palace and boasts one of the world's largest collections of ancient Roman mosaics.
Josep Lluis Cusido, the mayor of the Spanish town of Vallmoll, said he saw people being gunned down on the plaza outside the museum before the gunmen moved inside.
"After they entered the museum, I saw their faces: They were about 10 meters [32 feet] away from me," Cusido told Spain's Cadena Ser radio station.
"I managed to hide behind a pillar; there were unlucky people who they killed right there," he said, adding that he and his wife spent nearly three hours in the museum until they got out safely.
Dozens of tourists scrambled from the museum, linking arms or clutching children as Tunisian police and security forces pointed their weapons at the building. The museum, about 2 miles from the city center, is located near the national parliament building, which was evacuated.
A Spanish man and a pregnant Spanish woman who had been inside the museum during the attack hid in the building all night in fear and were retrieved safely Thursday morning by security forces, Aidi told The Associated Press.
Essid said the attack was an unprecedented assault on the economy. It came as Tunisia's all-important tourism business was starting to rebuild after drastic losses following the post-revolutionary turmoil. Numbers of arrivals for 2014 had begun to approach the levels of 2010 — before the revolution.
On Wednesday night, parliament held an extraordinary session where Speaker Mohammed Ennaceur called for the creation of a special fund to combat terrorism. He also called for the rapid passage of the anti-terror law that parliament had been debating when the attack took place.
The United States, France, the United Arab Emirates and the United Nations denounced the bloodshed. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington "condemns in the strongest possible terms today's deadly terrorist attack" and praised Tunisia's "rapid response" to resolve the hostage situation and restore calm.
Speaking at the Louvre museum in Paris to call for international efforts to preserve the heritage of Iraq and Syria against extremist destruction, French President Francois Hollande said he had called Tunisia's president to offer support and solidarity.
"Each time a terrorist crime is committed, we are all concerned," Hollande said.
North Africa analyst Geoff Porter said an attack on a tourism site has long been expected, as the militants come under pressure from increasingly effective Tunisian security forces.
"Today's attack did not come out of nowhere. In fact, it comes amid ongoing counterterrorism efforts elsewhere in the country," he said about the attack. "Increasing pressure on terrorist activities ... may have squeezed the balloon, with terrorists seeking softer targets with more symbolic impact in the capital."