Attack in the middle of Tunisian capital, President declares state of emergency

(Baonghean.vn) – On November 24, the Tunis government said that at least 12 people were killed and 18 others were injured in an attack on a bus carrying the President's security forces right in the center of the capital Tunis, Tunisia.

An Interior Ministry official said the blast occurred on a presidential security bus late at night on one of the capital's main thoroughfares, Tunis. Authorities initially said 14 people had died, but later revised the death toll to 12.

Police quickly arrived at the scene of the attack in the capital Tunis on November 24. Photo: Le Monde

Immediately after the explosion, many police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances were present at the scene – where the bus was almost melted. Police blocked off the nearby intersection.

“Most of the people in the car were killed,” a security source said. The Interior Ministry has yet to confirm exactly how many people were in the car at the time. The motive for the attack is still being investigated.

AFP quoted a witness as saying that he heard “a loud explosion” and “fire coming from the bus.” According to Reuters, a source close to the Tunisian President revealed that a suicide bomber carried out the attack.

However, the Tunisian government has not made any comments on the above information, only confirming that this was an attack.

On the evening of November 24, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi decided to declare a state of emergency for 30 days. A curfew was also imposed in the capital Tunis from 9pm to 5am.

In 2015 alone, Tunisia faced several jihadist attacks, including two deadly attacks on the Bardo Museum in March and near the Sousse hotel in late June that killed 60 people.

Chu Thanh

(According to Le Monde)