News / North Africa

Tunisian soldier shoots dead seven comrades: Ministry

Monday, 25 May 2015 12:35 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 25 May 2015 12:37 PM ]

Tunisian soldiers stand guard outside the Bouchoucha army barracks in Tunis on May 25, 2015. (AFP photo)

A Tunisian soldier has killed at least seven of his comrades and wounded several others in a shooting rampage at the a military base in the capital Tunis, the country's Defense Ministry says.

The rampage "caused the deaths of seven soldiers and also of the shooter," ministry spokesman Belhassen Oueslati said at a news conference on Monday.

"Ten soldiers were wounded, and one is in a serious condition," Oueslati added.

The renegade soldier had reportedly seized another man’s weapon for the shooting as he had been forbidden from carrying arms.

The assailant's motive remains unclear but Interior Ministry authorities have ruled out the possibility of any terrorism links.

Tunisian soldiers and policemen stand guard outside the Bouchoucha army barracks in Tunis on May 25, 2015. (AFP photo)

Interior Ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui said the shots were fired only inside the barracks, suggesting it was an internal dispute.

The shooting took place at the Bouchoucha military barracks near the parliament and the national Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis. Back in March, the museum was the scene of a terror attack which left several people dead.

Tunisian medics carry the body of a Japanese, killed in an attack on the Museum of Bardo in Tunis on March 18, to the Charles Nicole hospital on March 21, 2015. (AFP photo)

On March 18, a group of gunmen attacked the museum, killing 21 people, including 17 foreigners.

Two of the attackers were reportedly killed. Reports suggest that two or three gunmen are still at large as security forced have launched a manhunt for the suspects.

The ISIL Takfiri terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack, which lasted for about four hours.

The people of Tunisia, the birthplace of pro-democracy protests across North Africa and the Middle East, revolted against the Western-backed dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. Despite the political stability since then, insurgency and terrorists still threaten the North African country.

JR/KA/HMV

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk