Man held over Tunisian museum attack which left 22 dead
Italian police have arrested a Moroccan man on a Tunisian arrest warrant accusing him of helping organise and execute the March 18 attack on Tunisia’s Bardo museum that left 22 people dead.
Touil Abdelmajid was arrested on Tuesday evening at the home of his mother in Gaggiano, near Milan, prosecutor Bruno Megale told a news conference.
The accusations listed in the Tunisian arrest warrant include premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit attacks against the internal security of the state, belonging to a terrorist group and recruiting and training others to commit terrorist attacks, Mr Megale said.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for attacking the Bardo, Tunisia’s leading historical museum, which has a trove of Roman mosaics.
Gunmen opened fire on tourists getting out of buses and then entered the museum, apparently unimpeded, and fired on more tourists inside. Two gunmen were killed in a shootout with police. Four Italians were among the dead.
A number of people have been arrested in connection with the attack, but the Tunisian interior ministry has said the mastermind of the attack is still at large.
Mr Megale said Abdelmajid had been unknown to Italian authorities except for an expulsion order issued by Sicilian authorities in February.
Police were able to identify him in part after his mother reported that her son’s passport was missing immediately after the Bardo attack.
