ISIS Claims Responsibility for Attack on Tourists in Tunisia

Militants affiliated with the Islamic State group (ISIS) claimed responsibility on Thursday, March 18, for an armed attack on tourists at the National Museum of Tunisia. According to the Associated Press, the group issued an audio message taking responsibility for the attack in the museum located in the capital of Tunisia, which left 21 dead. The audio message praises the actions of the two attackers who were killed in the assault and warns Tunisian authorities to expect further attacks. Security forces have announced that they have arrested 9 suspects involved in the attack and hostage-taking at the museum. In the attack on Wednesday at the Bardo Museum in the capital, 23 people were killed, including the two attackers, with twenty of the victims being foreign tourists. The victims of this attack came from countries such as Russia, Britain, Germany, Poland, France, Italy, and Japan. The attack on March 18 in Tunisia led to increased security measures in the country. Tunisia was one of the first countries to witness a popular revolution, and in 2011 its government system transformed following protests. The report suggests that a number of young and radical Muslims in Tunisia, who have been attracted to ISIS or have joined the group in Syria, may have formed the ISIS organization in Tunisia. According to the Associated Press, after several years of economic pressure and following unrest after the revolution in Tunisia, the economic conditions for the people have not improved, and some have gone to Libya or Syria. Some of them may have been recruited by ISIS in Syria. The Tunisian government states that nearly 500 Tunisian citizens have returned from Syria. A Tunisian parliament member also told the Associated Press that nearly two thousand ISIS-leaning extremists have managed to unite in Tunisia and form a group. The report also states that militants have smuggled weapons from Libya and southern Mali into Tunisia. A Twitter account that published news related to ISIS militants in Tunisia and Libya tweeted photos of the attack on the National Museum of Tunisia, claiming it was an example of an 'effective and low-cost attack.' The Associated Press reports that this Twitter account has been blocked and is no longer active. The report also mentions that the 'Ansar al-Sharia' group has nearly four thousand forces in Tunisia.