Tunisia: woman blows herself up in suicide attack, at least 9 injured

At least nine people, including eight policemen, were wounded in an attack early Monday afternoon by a woman in Central Tunis.

Sofiene Zaag, spokesman for the Interior ministry said, the woman, whose identity is not yet known, blew herself up near police cars on Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the main road of the city center.

AFP said its journalist saw the body of the suicide bomber. Ambulances and police arrived at the scene and the area was immediately cordoned off.

The news agency said many shops within this shopping avenue closed amidst a chaotic atmosphere.

This is the first attack on the Tunisian capital since November 24, 2015, when a suicide attack hit the bus of a presidential guard and killed 12 agents in Central Tunis. The attack was claimed by jihadist Islamic state group.

On March 18 the same year, two men opened fire on tourists in Tunis. The attack led to 21 tourists and one Tunisian policeman dead.

In March 2016, dozens of jihadists from Libya had also tried to seize positions of security forces in the South of Ben Guerdane region, near the Libyan border without success. The attack led to the death of 20 security forces and civilians.

The attack was not claimed but Tunisian authorities accused the IS of having wanted to create “an emirate” on Tunisian soil.