Tunisia Accuses “Terrorist” Group of Politicians’ Murders
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Tunisia declared Ansar al-Sharia a terrorist organisation after obtaining proof it killed two politicians and several soldiers, Prime Minister Ali Larayedh said on Tuesday.
Larayedh said the militant group Ansar al-Sharia killed secular opposition leaders Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi and stated that it will now be classified as a terrorist organisation.
Ansar al-Sharia is the most radical group to emerge in Tunisia since secular autocrat Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was toppled in 2011. Its attacks have posed a challenge to the authority of the moderate Islamist-led government.
"We have discovered proof that the Ansar group is responsible for the assassinations of Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi and the attacks at Mount Chaambi," Larayedh told reporters, Reuters reported.
"We have decided to officially classify this group as a terrorist group. Anyone belonging to it must face judicial consequences," he said.
Ansar leader Saifallah Benahssine, also known as Abu Iyadh, is a former al Qaeda fighter in Afghanistan sought by police for allegedly inciting an attack on the US embassy in Tunis in September 2012.
Ansar al-Sharia has been suspected in the two assassinations and violent attacks in the Mount Chaambi area near the Algerian border, including the killing of eight soldiers last month.
