12 arrested over deadly Tunisian beach rampage

Tourists pay their respects at a makeshift memorial at the beach near the Imperial Marhaba resort, which was attacked by a gunman in Sousse, Tunisia, on June 29, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS

TUNIS • The Tunisian authorities have arrested 12 people they suspect are linked to the deadly Sousse beach hotel attack on foreign tourists, and are hunting for two men who trained in a Libyan Islamist camp with the Sousse attacker, an official said.

Tunisian Seifeddine Rezgui, 23, last Friday pulled a Kalashnikov assault rifle from inside a beach umbrella and went on a bloody rampage at the five-star RIU Imperial Marhaba hotel in Port El Kantaoui before he was shot by police.

Thirty-eight foreigners, mostly British holidaymakers, were killed in the attack, which came less than four months after two gunmen murdered 22 people at the Tunis Bardo museum before they were also shot.

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for both attacks.

Meanwhile, Kuwait's Parliament, reacting to a suicide bombing last week that killed 26 people, has adopted a law requiring mandatory DNA testing on all the country's citizens and foreign residents.

ISIS' Saudi affiliate, the Najd Province, claimed responsibility for the bombing and identified the assailant as Abu Suleiman al-Muwahhid.

The Kuwaiti authorities said that his real name was Fahd Suleiman Abdulmohsen al-Qabaa and that he was a Saudi born in 1992.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 03, 2015, with the headline 12 arrested over deadly Tunisian beach rampage. Subscribe