(Zaman Al Wasl)- At least 12 Tunisian presidential guards have been killed and 16 more wounded in an explosion hit their mini-bus in Tunisia's capital, Tunis, state TV reports.
The explosion happened at a bus stop where the presidential guard picks up and drops off its staff, near the former headquarters of the party of deposed President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
No group has yet said it was behind the attack.
Roads in the city were already clogged because of heavy rain and flooding when the explosion hit.
Exactly what caused the blast is unclear but one source told Reuters a bomber had probably detonated explosives in the vehicle.
President Beji Caid Essebsi has declared a 30-day state of emergency and the capital is under curfew.
An eye-witness told private Nessma TV that a suicide bomber who blew himself up in the bus.
Tunisia has been targeted by the Islamic State group, including an attack by a gunman on the beach resort of Sousse in June, killing 38 people, mostly foreign tourists.
The North African state is believed to be the biggest exporter of jihadis, with the authorities saying at least 3,000 of its nationals are fighting in Iraq and Syria. (With BBC)
The explosion happened at a bus stop where the presidential guard picks up and drops off its staff, near the former headquarters of the party of deposed President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
No group has yet said it was behind the attack.
Roads in the city were already clogged because of heavy rain and flooding when the explosion hit.
Exactly what caused the blast is unclear but one source told Reuters a bomber had probably detonated explosives in the vehicle.
President Beji Caid Essebsi has declared a 30-day state of emergency and the capital is under curfew.
An eye-witness told private Nessma TV that a suicide bomber who blew himself up in the bus.
Tunisia has been targeted by the Islamic State group, including an attack by a gunman on the beach resort of Sousse in June, killing 38 people, mostly foreign tourists.
The North African state is believed to be the biggest exporter of jihadis, with the authorities saying at least 3,000 of its nationals are fighting in Iraq and Syria. (With BBC)
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