Arrests made over Tunisian shootings
Source: Agencies |
January 17, 2011, Monday
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TUNISIAN police arrested the head of the presidential guard yesterday and dozens of others suspected in drive-by shootings, trying to restore calm to the North African nation after the ouster of its longtime president.
Tunisians and observers worldwide were looking for signs about which way the country would turn as a new leadership sought to stop the looting, arson attacks and random violence since ex-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was driven from power last Friday.
Police arrested the head of Ben Ali's presidential guard, Ali Seriati, and several colleagues over accusations they had plotted against state security, the state news agency TAP reported yesterday.
More than 50 people have been arrested since Saturday on suspicion of using ambulances, rental cars and civil protection vehicles for random shootings, a police official said. A crowd of 200 in Tunis cheered yesterday as police drove away one ambulance and arrested its driver.
Dozens of people have died in a month of clashes between police and protesters angry about the repression and corruption during Ben Ali's rule - unrest that ultimately marked the end of his 23-year government.
A soldier fired shots in the air yesterday near Tunis' main train station to warn that a gathering of more than three people is banned under the state-of-emergency law.
Police insisted that gunfire heard overnight was only the firing of warning shots. A soldier near the train station said, "We are with the Tunisians, we are all brothers."
A day of violence on Saturday cast doubt on hopes for a smooth transition to a post-Ben Ali era. People attacked police near the Interior Ministry, and looting and score-settling attacks besieged wealthy neighborhoods, department stores and shops.
Businesses owned by Ben Ali's family were major targets of looters. The family of the ex-president's wife, Leila Trabelsi, has financial interests in sectors from banking to car dealerships. A branch of the Zeitouna bank in Tunis founded by Ben Ali's son-in-law was torched, as were vehicles made by Kia, Fiat and Porsche - brands distributed in Tunisia by members of the ruling family.
Tourists were being evacuated yesterday from the Mediterranean nation, whose wide beaches, deserts and ancient ruins are a strong draw for Europeans seeking relief from winter.
Tunisians and observers worldwide were looking for signs about which way the country would turn as a new leadership sought to stop the looting, arson attacks and random violence since ex-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was driven from power last Friday.
Police arrested the head of Ben Ali's presidential guard, Ali Seriati, and several colleagues over accusations they had plotted against state security, the state news agency TAP reported yesterday.
More than 50 people have been arrested since Saturday on suspicion of using ambulances, rental cars and civil protection vehicles for random shootings, a police official said. A crowd of 200 in Tunis cheered yesterday as police drove away one ambulance and arrested its driver.
Dozens of people have died in a month of clashes between police and protesters angry about the repression and corruption during Ben Ali's rule - unrest that ultimately marked the end of his 23-year government.
A soldier fired shots in the air yesterday near Tunis' main train station to warn that a gathering of more than three people is banned under the state-of-emergency law.
Police insisted that gunfire heard overnight was only the firing of warning shots. A soldier near the train station said, "We are with the Tunisians, we are all brothers."
A day of violence on Saturday cast doubt on hopes for a smooth transition to a post-Ben Ali era. People attacked police near the Interior Ministry, and looting and score-settling attacks besieged wealthy neighborhoods, department stores and shops.
Businesses owned by Ben Ali's family were major targets of looters. The family of the ex-president's wife, Leila Trabelsi, has financial interests in sectors from banking to car dealerships. A branch of the Zeitouna bank in Tunis founded by Ben Ali's son-in-law was torched, as were vehicles made by Kia, Fiat and Porsche - brands distributed in Tunisia by members of the ruling family.
Tourists were being evacuated yesterday from the Mediterranean nation, whose wide beaches, deserts and ancient ruins are a strong draw for Europeans seeking relief from winter.
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