Tunisian held in Germany linked to 2015 Tunis museum attack

Tunisian man arrested in Germany on Wednesday on suspicion of recruiting for the Daesh terror group is also accused of involvement in the deadly 2015 attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis, German prosecutors said.
The 36-year-old is wanted by Tunisian authorities on suspicion of “participating in planning and carrying out” the attack, which killed more than 20 foreigners, the prosecutor’s office in the western state of Hesse said in a statement.

They also suspect him of involvement in a deadly assault on the border town of Ben Guerdane last March, it added.

Tunisia issued a warrant for his arrest in June 2016 but he escaped extradition from Germany late last year because Tunisian authorities failed to provide the required documentation for his deportation, according to the prosecutors.

The suspect was taken into custody in the early morning as police carried out sweeping anti-terror raids in Frankfurt and nearby towns.

There was no immediate response from Tunis to the arrest.

“At the moment, we don’t know the identity of this person. There are several suspects in the Bardo and Ben Guerdane cases currently on the run,” Tunisian prosecution spokesman Sofiene Sliti told AFP.

The case is likely to reignite debate about Tunisia’s cooperation in taking back nationals due for deportation.

The issue has already caused tensions between the German government and Tunis after it emerged that the Tunisian national who ploughed a truck into a Berlin Christmas market in December, killing 12 people, was a failed asylum-seeker.

Anis Amri should have been deported months earlier but Tunisia did not provide the necessary paperwork until after the attack.

Source: /Jordan Times