Tunisia arrests 9 over terror attack on museum

Tunisia has arrested 9 people with links to gunmen who killed over 20 people in the national museum, the office of Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi has announced.

A statement on Thursday said security officials have arrested four people with direct links to the gunmen who killed at least 21 people in Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis.

“Security forces were able to arrest four people directly linked to the (terrorist) operation and five suspected of having ties to the cell,” said the statement without revealing the identity of the detainees.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack which saw almost 20 foreigners, most of them Europeans, killed on Wednesday.

A Tunisian security force stands guard in front of the National Bardo Museum in Tunis on March 19, 2015, in the aftermath of an attack on foreign tourists. (AFP photo)

The statement added that Tunisia is facing “exceptional circumstances,” noting that measures have been taken to reinforce security along the borders with Libya and Algeria.

“After a meeting with the armed forces, the president has decided large cities will be secured by the army,” the statement said.

Earlier in the day, Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid revealed the identity of two of the gunmen involved in the tragic attack which also wounded 20. The attackers, who were reportedly killed in the assault, were identified as Jabeur Khachnaoui and Yassine Laabidi. Reports suggest that two or three other gunmen are still at large.

A relative of a victim is comforted by friends as he stands outside a morgue in Tunis on March 19, 2015, in the aftermath of an attack on Bardo National Museum. (AFP photo)

Since 2012, Tunisian security forces have been engaged in a massive operation against the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups which mainly operate in the Mount Chaambi region near the Algerian border.

The North African country is seen as the cradle of the popular protests against Arab rulers after an uprising erupted in 2011 against the former president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The removal of the dictator, however, sparked a new wave of terrorists attack on security forces and police killing dozens of them across the country.