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| Tunisia suicide attack wounds five police officers near US embassy | Tunisia suicide attack wounds five police officers near US embassy |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Interior ministry statement says two attackers blew themselves up in country’s capital, Tunis | Interior ministry statement says two attackers blew themselves up in country’s capital, Tunis |
| Two suicide bombers blew themselves up near the US embassy in the Tunisian capital on Friday, wounding five police officers, the interior ministry said. | Two suicide bombers blew themselves up near the US embassy in the Tunisian capital on Friday, wounding five police officers, the interior ministry said. |
| A ministry statement said the attackers in Tunis both died, while a civilian was slightly injured. One of the five injured police officers was in a critical condition, according to a lawmaker. | A ministry statement said the attackers in Tunis both died, while a civilian was slightly injured. One of the five injured police officers was in a critical condition, according to a lawmaker. |
| Security units were placed on a state of maximum alert, the ministry said. Hundreds of police swarmed around the scene and sharpshooters were visible on the roofs of nearby buildings. | Security units were placed on a state of maximum alert, the ministry said. Hundreds of police swarmed around the scene and sharpshooters were visible on the roofs of nearby buildings. |
| Yosri Dali, the head of the armed forces and security commission, confirmed eyewitness reports that the attackers were on a motorcycle. He said in an interview with Radio Mosaïque that they blew themselves up when a police patrol stopped them to ask where they were going. | Yosri Dali, the head of the armed forces and security commission, confirmed eyewitness reports that the attackers were on a motorcycle. He said in an interview with Radio Mosaïque that they blew themselves up when a police patrol stopped them to ask where they were going. |
| There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. | There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. |
| Dali said that one of the injured police officers was in critical condition. The ministry statement said the patrolling officers suffered varying degrees of injuries. | Dali said that one of the injured police officers was in critical condition. The ministry statement said the patrolling officers suffered varying degrees of injuries. |
| The embassy, which was stormed by a crowd of hundreds in 2012, put an advisory note on its website telling people to avoid the area. | The embassy, which was stormed by a crowd of hundreds in 2012, put an advisory note on its website telling people to avoid the area. |
| A flag in the US embassy compound, which is surrounded by walls, could be seen fluttering above the attack scene. | A flag in the US embassy compound, which is surrounded by walls, could be seen fluttering above the attack scene. |
| Police taped off the area around the site, which was littered with charred debris. Scientific police could be seen sorting through remnants left by the attack. | Police taped off the area around the site, which was littered with charred debris. Scientific police could be seen sorting through remnants left by the attack. |
| Dozens of people have been killed in attacks by Islamic extremists in Tunisia, notably in 2015 when the Bardo Museum outside the capital and a luxury beach hotel were attacked. | Dozens of people have been killed in attacks by Islamic extremists in Tunisia, notably in 2015 when the Bardo Museum outside the capital and a luxury beach hotel were attacked. |
| The US embassy, located in a residential area on the outskirts of Tunis, was attacked in 2012 along with a nearby American school by crowds of people angry at an anti-Muslim film produced in the US. Security forces killed four people during an attack, in which the US flag was torn down and replaced with an Islamic flag. | |
| Since the fall of Tunisia’s hardline secular dictatorship in January 2011, Salafists have increasingly come into the open. | Since the fall of Tunisia’s hardline secular dictatorship in January 2011, Salafists have increasingly come into the open. |
| • This article was amended on 6 March 2020. The original Associated Press copy incorrectly referred to five deaths. | • This article was amended on 6 March 2020. The original Associated Press copy incorrectly referred to five deaths. |