A female suicide bomber detonated her explosives near a shopping centre on busy Habib Bourguiba Avenue, officials say.
A female suicide bomber detonated her explosives near a shopping centre on busy Habib Bourguiba Avenue, officials say.
At least nine people have been wounded in a suicide bomb blast that rocked the centre of Tunisia’s capital, Tunis, according to the interior ministry.
A 30-year-old suicide bomber detonated her explosives on Monday afternoon near Le Palmarium shopping centre on the busy Habib Bourguiba Avenue, said Sofiene Zaag, the interior ministry spokesperson.
“Eight policemen and one civilian were wounded following this suicide attack,” he said, adding that the bomber was the only fatality.
Zaag said the injured were transferred to Hospital Charles Nicolle in Tunis and the military hospital.
According to Radio Mosaique FM, the bomber used a hand-made grenade containing small quantities of explosives.
Pictures published on the station’s social media platforms showed a veiled woman who appeared to be dead wearing dark trousers, a pink top and a short dark jacket with serious wounds on her left hip and stomach lying on the ground in a cordoned off area.
Ricardo Gonzalez, a Tunis-based journalist who lives near the site of the attack, said the explosion was not “very strong”.
“In fact, I had a doubt whether this was a bomb or maybe a car accident,” he told Al Jazeera.
“I went down to the street and saw many people moving towards the place where it had taken place. [As I got closer,] I saw several agents [security officers] lying on the ground and complaining about injuries.” Read more