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| Tunisia attack - the unanswered questions | Tunisia attack - the unanswered questions |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| How many attackers were there? | How many attackers were there? |
| The Tunisian authorities have said the attack at the Imperial Marhaba beach hotel in the resort of Port El Kantaoui was carried out by 23-year-old student Seifeddine Rezgui, who was shot dead in a side street after killing 38 people. Clean-shaven and dressed in black, Rezgui appeared to be filmed during his rampage wielding a rifle. Some witnesses said they saw another man dressed in red shorts shooting at tourists. But others have said they saw a man in red shorts with a gun trying to stop the attacker. Witness Tom Richards, a civil engineering graduate, told the Guardian he saw a gunman with a beard shoot two tourists in the head. “He was maybe 20 or 25. He had long black hair and a beard,” he said. Local radio said police captured a second gunman, but this has not been confirmed by officials. The extremist group Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack and referred to Rezgui by a nom de guerre, Abu Yahya al-Qayrawani. It did not mention anyone else. | The Tunisian authorities have said the attack at the Imperial Marhaba beach hotel in the resort of Port El Kantaoui was carried out by 23-year-old student Seifeddine Rezgui, who was shot dead in a side street after killing 38 people. Clean-shaven and dressed in black, Rezgui appeared to be filmed during his rampage wielding a rifle. Some witnesses said they saw another man dressed in red shorts shooting at tourists. But others have said they saw a man in red shorts with a gun trying to stop the attacker. Witness Tom Richards, a civil engineering graduate, told the Guardian he saw a gunman with a beard shoot two tourists in the head. “He was maybe 20 or 25. He had long black hair and a beard,” he said. Local radio said police captured a second gunman, but this has not been confirmed by officials. The extremist group Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack and referred to Rezgui by a nom de guerre, Abu Yahya al-Qayrawani. It did not mention anyone else. |
| How many weapons were used? | How many weapons were used? |
| One of the survivors, Kirsty Murray, said she was hit in the legs by a man with a handgun. The Tunisian authorities have suggested there was just one gunman with a rifle. Tunisia’s interior minister, Rafik Chelli, said Rezgui had hidden a Kalashnikov in a beach umbrella and began “shooting wildly”. Witnesses later said Rezgui threw at least one grenade into a staff area in the hotel. This has yet to be confirmed, and no grenade damage has been shown, but a loud explosion can be heard in video of the incident. | One of the survivors, Kirsty Murray, said she was hit in the legs by a man with a handgun. The Tunisian authorities have suggested there was just one gunman with a rifle. Tunisia’s interior minister, Rafik Chelli, said Rezgui had hidden a Kalashnikov in a beach umbrella and began “shooting wildly”. Witnesses later said Rezgui threw at least one grenade into a staff area in the hotel. This has yet to be confirmed, and no grenade damage has been shown, but a loud explosion can be heard in video of the incident. |
| Later video showed a man dressed in black running away on the beach with a gun. | Later video showed a man dressed in black running away on the beach with a gun. |
| How did the attacker(s) get on the beach? | How did the attacker(s) get on the beach? |
| Details are still sketchy and unconfirmed, but witnesses said a gunman arrived on the beach by jet ski or speedboat at about 11.30am on Friday morning. No jet skis or speedboats have been recovered to firm up the claim. There has even been speculation that the attacker, or attackers, arrived in a plane seen flying low over the resort at the time. No evidence has been produced to explain how the attacker reached the beach. | Details are still sketchy and unconfirmed, but witnesses said a gunman arrived on the beach by jet ski or speedboat at about 11.30am on Friday morning. No jet skis or speedboats have been recovered to firm up the claim. There has even been speculation that the attacker, or attackers, arrived in a plane seen flying low over the resort at the time. No evidence has been produced to explain how the attacker reached the beach. |
| Have witnesses been interviewed by police? | |
| Survivors have told the Guardian they have not been approached by the police to provide witness statements about what they saw. | Survivors have told the Guardian they have not been approached by the police to provide witness statements about what they saw. |
| What are the British police doing in Tunisia? | |
| A team of 16 British police officers, including senior detectives and specialist forensic officers, have been sent to Tunisia. Scotland Yard could not confirm whether the team has been given access to the crime scene. | A team of 16 British police officers, including senior detectives and specialist forensic officers, have been sent to Tunisia. Scotland Yard could not confirm whether the team has been given access to the crime scene. |
| What were Rezugui’s motives? | What were Rezugui’s motives? |
| Tunisia’s prime minister, Habib Essid, said Rezgui had been mainly radicalised online and that he may have spent time in neighbouring Libya. Essid told CNN information had been received that he belonged to an organisation and he was close to a mosquethat provided “intellectual” training. According to an unconfirmed report, Rezgui was linked to Saifallah Ben Hassine, a fanatic who was based in London for at least three years and a disciple of the radical cleric Abu Qatada. | Tunisia’s prime minister, Habib Essid, said Rezgui had been mainly radicalised online and that he may have spent time in neighbouring Libya. Essid told CNN information had been received that he belonged to an organisation and he was close to a mosquethat provided “intellectual” training. According to an unconfirmed report, Rezgui was linked to Saifallah Ben Hassine, a fanatic who was based in London for at least three years and a disciple of the radical cleric Abu Qatada. |
| How long did it take the authorities to respond? | How long did it take the authorities to respond? |
| Video footage shows the gunman rampaging through the hotel for several minutes without any response from the security services. Intermittent gunfire can be heard in an 11-minute sequence, while tourists who survived the attack said the shooting lasted for about 20 minutes. Some tourists said it it was more than an hour before they were rescued from the ordeal. | Video footage shows the gunman rampaging through the hotel for several minutes without any response from the security services. Intermittent gunfire can be heard in an 11-minute sequence, while tourists who survived the attack said the shooting lasted for about 20 minutes. Some tourists said it it was more than an hour before they were rescued from the ordeal. |