Tunisia: IS-affiliated terrorist network dismantled in Sousse Sep. 11

Event

On Monday, September 11, Tunisian security forces announced the dismantling of an Islamic State (IS)-affiliated terrorist network in the city of Sousse.  According to local sources, Tunisian police arrested five suspects – who later confessed – and seized documents on bomb-making techniques.

Context

The threat from terrorism, including kidnapping, in Tunisia is considered high and a near-constant state of emergency has been in effect nationwide since June 2015. Security operations targeting terrorist cells in the country are common. According to estimates by the Ministry of the Interior, several thousand Tunisian nationals are currently fighting for IS and other armed groups in Iraq, Syria, and Libya, raising fears that they could return to Tunisia to perpetrate attacks. Various other terrorist groups are present in the country as well.

Advice

Due to the terrorist threat, individuals in Tunisia are advised to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities, particularly when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.). Certain Western governments advise against travel to the south of the country, e.g. regions on the borders with Algeria and Libya, and the Kasserine region, due to the presence of armed groups.