Female suicide bomber blows herself up wounding many others in the latest Tunisia terror attack
A suicide bomber has blown herself up on a busy street in the Tunisian capital, killing herself and wounding many others, according to reports.
The 30-year-old woman set off the blast just before 2pm in Tunis’ popular Habib Bourguiba avenue, interior ministry spokesman Sofiene Zaag said.
The TAP agency said eight police officers were among the injured, as well as one civilian.
The shocking incident took place in Avenue Habib Bourguiba.
It happened at about 1.50pm local time.
It said that apart from the bomber, there have been no further reported deaths.
An AP reporter at the scene saw many ambulances arriving to take the wounded to hospitals.
The blast is said to have taken place in front of Tunis’ city theatre.
Habib Bourguiba avenue is considered the cultural, political and economic heart of Tunis, and is sometimes called Tunisia’s Champs Elysees.
Ambulances could be heard rushing to the scene.
Witness Mohamed Ekbal bin Rajib told Reuters: “I was in front of the theatre and heard a huge explosion and saw people fleeing.”
In 2015,30 Brits were among 38 people murdered by an ISIS gunman in beach resort Sousse.
In February 2018, Brit tourists were greeted with flowers, music and dancing after arriving in Tunisia on the first UK package holiday since the Sousse massacre in 2015.
The Thomas Cook flight carried 220 passengers from Birmingham to Enfidha, approximately 30 miles from the site of the 2015 terror attacks.
The tour operator is resuming package holidays to the country after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) relaxed travel advice.
The FCO advised against all but essential visits following the June 2015 beach attack in which 30 Britons were killed, but this guidance was withdrawn for the majority of the North African country last year.
Passengers arriving in the airport were greeted with women offering flowers and a band playing traditional music.
“It’s great news that Thomas Cook are welcoming visitors back to Tunisia”, said Samir Ben Haj Fraj, 19, who was a passenger on the flight.
“It was a full flight of 220 passengers and all the flights this week are fully booked”, said Mr Ben Haj Fraj.
“Obviously no country is 100% safe. In the UK there have been terrorist attacks in London and Manchester. But I think (Tunisia) is a safe destination.”
Thomas Cook resumed holiday sales to UK customers in August, with trips beginning on Tuesday.
The company did not stop selling trips to French, German and Belgian holidaymakers after the Sousse attack as their governments did not recommend that their citizens should not visit Tunisia.
Some 440,000 people from the UK visited Tunisia in 2014, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Source: Birmingham Mail
