State of emergency declared after attack on bus carrying security forces in downtown Tunis leaves 12 people dead.
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The official Facebook page for the Tunisian president’s office said 17 people were wounded when bus convoy of presidential security agents was struck by a “cowardly terrorist attack”.
Since the revolution, Tunisia has been struggling with installing democracy as well as violence from extremist groups operating in the country and in neighboring nations.
Police and ambulances rushed to the scene, with security personnel also fanning out in central Tunis.
Tunisian president Beji Caid Essebsi has cancelled a trip to Switzerland planned for Wednesday.
Presidential spokesman Moez Sinaoui said the blast occurred in the heart of Tunis on a crowded boulevard during evening rush hour, Reuters reported. “This was not an ordinary explosion”. Islamic State claimed both those attacks.
Prime Minister Habib Essid and Interior Minister Najem Gharsalli visited the scene of the blast.
In March, militants opened fire on tourists inside the Bardo Museum, killing 24 people.
Twenty people were injured in the attack, which took place at around 5pm local time and as the presidential guards were on their way to the president’s palace.
It came days after authorities visibly increased security in the capital and deployed security forces in unusually high numbers.
A week earlier, Tunisian police foiled an attack in the resort of Sousse, after it raided a terrorist cell as they were preparing attacks against vital installations.
Early this year, the Islamic State (IS) carried out two attacks targeting foreigners, hitting hard the country’s tourism industry.
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Tunisia has been held up as one of the success stories of the Arab Spring, the movement that brought sweeping changes to the region.
