Gunmen behind Tunisian museum attack were suspected Al-Qaeda

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. Two suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists were today identified as the ringleaders of the murderous attack in Tunisia in which British people were caught up.

They were named as Yassine Abidi and Hatem Khachnaoui, both Tunisian in their 20s, who were themselves gunned down by police commandoes after killing 19 people, and wounding 44.

As reports “Armenpress” citing The Daily Mail, both had spent 'a great deal of time' in Kasserine, the western province which is considered a stronghold of a jihadi group linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

'The young men had boasted of their links with AQIM,' said a Tunisian Interior Ministry source. 'One was living permanently in Tunis, while another was still based in Kasserine.

'AQIM is well established in the region, and anti-terrorist operations are currently underway there in connection with yesterday's attack'.

It came as the British foreign office confirmed that two Britons were 'caught up' in the shootings at the Bardo National Museum, next door to the Tunisian Parliament, in Tunis.

Kalashnikovs and grenades were used by Abidi and Khachnaoui during an onslaught which lasted four hours. They are thought to have had accomplices, and a nationwide hunt was today underway to try and find them.

Their victims were mainly tourists from Japan, Italy, Colombia, Spain, Australia, Poland and France, said Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid.

Many were on a Costa cruise ship, which was moored in the Goulette port in Tunis. A spokesman for Coast Cruises said: 'The captain says fourteen passangers are missing. We can't say at this stage if they were among the victims.'

A British Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We can confirm that two British nationals were caught up in the shootings in Tunis on Wednesday and that we are providing consular assistance.

'We are working with the Tunisian authorities as well as with contacts in the tourist industry to establish if any further British nationals have been affected.

'Through our travel advice, we are urging people to exercise caution and follow the instructions of the local authorities.' Forty-four people were injured in the attack, including 13 Italians, seven French, four Japanese, two South Africans, one Pole, one Russian and six Tunisians.

Prime Minister David Cameron said on Twitter: 'Appalled by sickening terrorist attack in Tunis - my thoughts are with those affected.

UK stands ready to support Tunisia.' British tour operators confirmed that while thousands of customers are believed to be in the country, very few were in the capital where the attack was carried out.

Witnesses have described how the police told them to 'run, run, run' after the terrorists started firing at them as they got off coaches in the Bardo car park.

'We heard a bang, and then realised it was not firecrackers but terrorists shooting at everyone,' said one, a French woman who would only give her name as Marie.

'They then entered the museum and began shooting at everything that moved.

'We were in the top floor of the museum. Initially we thought a statue had crashed on to the floor. There was a couple with four children.

'We sat on the floor for an hour without moving. We were in the mosaics room. Then we were told to run, run, run. We went through an exit and were taken to a military barracks.'

A source from the Parliament building said: 'There was absolute panic when the shots were heard.'

MP Sayida Ounissi confirmed that the 'Minister of Justice, judges and army officers' were all taking part in a debate about terrorism at the time.