On 24 November 2015, a bus carrying Tunisian presidential guards exploded, killing 12, on a principal road in

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

, Tunisia. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. The bomber, who also died in the attack, was identified as Houssem Abdelli.

Bombing

On 24 November 2015, at least 12 people were killed in a bus bombing in

, the capital of Tunisia. The bus was carrying members of the Tunisian Presidential Security guard. The blast happened when the vehicle was parked near a main artery in the Tunisian capital where guard members are typically picked up and dropped off, according to an official in the Tunisian Prime Minister's office. The explosion, described as an "attack" by presidential spokesman Moez Sinaoui, struck on the capital's Mohamed V Avenue, a ministry official told AFP. An AFP journalist reported seeing the partly burnt out shell of the bus, with police, ambulances, and fire trucks at the scene. The bomber was identified as Houssem Abdelli, a 28-year-old resident of Tunis. The man's mother identified him from a photograph.

Response

The Tunisian Interior Ministry announced that this was an act of terrorism, using a

Semtex Semtex is a general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX and PETN. It is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications. Semtex was developed and manufactured in Czechoslovakia, originally under the name B 1 a ...

explosive traced to

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

. The

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in an online statement, though authorities did not discuss any ties between the bomber and extremist groups. The group has also claimed responsibility for two attacks in Tunisia earlier in the year, targeting the tourism industry: the Bardo museum attack in March and an attack on a beach resort in Sousse in June. After the attack, President

Beji Caid Essebsi Beji Caid Essebsi (or es-Sebsi; , ; 29 November 1926 – 25 July 2019) was a Tunisian politician who served as the fourth president of Tunisia from 31 December 2014 until his death on 25 July 2019. Previously, he served as minister of foreign af ...

placed Tunis under curfew and resumed a month-long

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

. The Tunisian Interior Ministry reported that national security raids had led to the arrest of 40 people with suspected ties to terrorist groups. Among the people arrested were the suspected bomber's sister and mother. The Tunisian government's Security Council shut down Facebook accounts and websites linked to terrorist groups.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tunis bombing 2015 murders in Tunisia 2015 bombing Arab Winter in Tunisia Bus bombings in Africa Suicide bombings in 2015 Improvised explosive device bombings in Tunisia ISIL terrorist incidents in Tunisia Islamic terrorist incidents in 2015 Mass murder in 2015 21st-century mass murder in Tunisia 2015 bombing November 2015 crimes in Africa 2015 in politics Suicide bombings in Africa Terrorist incidents in Africa in 2015 2015 bombing 2015 disasters in Tunisia

Bombing

Response

See also

References