Portsmouth mum Becky Millar tweeted: ‘Shocking images of the poor victims on the beach in Tunisia.
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The father of the Tunisia terror attack gunman has said he is “ashamed” of his son’s actions. The British were his prime targets and at least 15 have been confirmed dead.
As counter-terrorism police from Scotland Yard travelled to the North African country to assist with the investigation, harrowing stories of survival and rescue continued to emerge.
Tunisia’s health ministry said it had identified the bodies of 17 people from Britain, Germany, Ireland, Belgium and Portugal, as it tried to establish the identities of victims mown down in their beachwear. A further 39 people were wounded, 21 of whom have since left hospital after receiving treatment.
Britain’s Foreign Office warned late on Saturday that Islamist militants may launch further attacks in Tunisia after a gunman opened fire on the Imperial Marhaba resort in the deadliest such attack in Tunisia’s modern history.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the attack as a “horrifying and senseless act of violence” and said its perpetrators “do not speak for Muslims”.
He said he plans to see a therapist to help cope with the trauma of that day, but was certain he and his nation would heal.
People lay flowers at the site of a shooting attack on the beach in front of the Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel in Port el Kantaoui.
Meanwhile, the number of Irish victims of the Tunisia attack has been officially confirmed as three.
“How can they defend themselves against someone who has a Kalashnikov and who is killing them?”
Family friends said the mother-of-two arrived ahead of her husband at the beach, where she suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
It comes as the Tunisian government today said the hotels that were targeted were too slow to inform the police.
Police have identified the suspected shooter as Seifeddine Rezgui, a young Tunisian student who was not previously known to authorities.
The attack was swiftly claimed by the Islamic State group, the extremist organisation that has seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq and carried out a wave of attacks around the world.
Speaking after chairing a meeting of the Government’s emergency cobra committee this morning, Mrs May said the Government was also sending a team to look at security arrangements in the area, which attracts thousands of western tourists every year.
In Sousse, some foreign tourists were still wading in the sea by the beach where the attack took place.
Analysts say that despite promises from the authorities, it will take a large-scale reform of the country’s forces to ensure better security. He said “we don’t want to make tourist establishments into barracks, that’s not our goal”.
Mahdin Zidani, 40, was on the beach when the attacker opened fire.
Merseyside travellers who have Tunisian holidays booked for the next week are being offered the chance to cancel or amend their holidays.
“My supervisor sent me a text and told me what had happened. It was my training, we had to go and help them”.
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Anxious relatives are still waiting for news of missing family members.
