TUNIS: An anti-terrorism raid in Tunisia uncovered a tunnel being dug in the vicinity of the French ambassador’s residence from a house frequented by a known extremist, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.
The ministry’s statement did not indicate the tunnel’s purpose or whether the ambassador’s residence was a target.
It said anti-terrorism officials and prosecutors were investigating.
A tip-off alerted security services to suspicious activity at the house in La Marsa, a coastal suburb of the Tunisian capital, Tunis, where the French ambassador also lives, the Interior Ministry said.
A subsequent raid uncovered the tunneling. The ministry statement didn’t say how close the house is to the French ambassador’s residence.
A known extremist is among people who frequented the house that was raided, the ministry said. It did not say if there were any arrests.
The French Embassy said it had no comment. The street outside the ambassador’s residence was calm Wednesday morning.
Tunisia says tunnel found near French ambassador’s residence
https://arab.news/c623d
Tunisia says tunnel found near French ambassador’s residence
- The origin of the tunnel was a house frequented by a known extremist
- Tunisian police did not say if any arrests have been made
Hundreds mourn in Syria’s Homs after deadly mosque bombing
- Officials have said the preliminary investigations indicate explosive devices were planted inside the mosque but have not yet publicly identified a suspect
HOMS: Hundreds of mourners gathered Saturday despite rain and cold outside of a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs where a bombing the day before killed eight people and wounded 18.
The crowd gathered next to the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi Al-Dhahab neighborhood, where the population is predominantly from the Alawite minority, before driving in convoys to bury the victims.
Officials have said the preliminary investigations indicate explosive devices were planted inside the mosque but have not yet publicly identified a suspect.
A little-known group calling itself Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its Telegram channel, in which it indicated that the attack intended to target members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam whom hard-line Islamists consider to be apostates.
The same group had previously claimed a suicide attack in June in which a gunman opened fire and then detonated an explosive vest inside a Greek Orthodox church in Dweil’a, on the outskirts of Damascus, killing 25 people as worshippers prayed on a Sunday.
A neighbor of the mosque, who asked to be identified only by the honorific Abu Ahmad (“father of Ahmad“) out of security concerns, said he was at home when he heard the sound of a “very very strong explosion.”
He and other neighbors went to the mosque and saw terrified people running out of it, he said. They entered and began trying to help the wounded, amid blood and scattered body parts on the floor.
While the neighborhood is primarily Alawite, he said the mosque had always been open to members of all sects to pray.
“It’s the house of God,” he said. “The mosque’s door is open to everyone. No one ever asked questions. Whoever wants to enter can enter.”
Mourners were unable to enter the mosque to pray Saturday because the crime scene remained cordoned off, so they prayed outside.
Some then marched through the streets chanting “Ya Ali,” in reference to the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law whom Shiite Muslims consider to be his rightful successor.
