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May 26, 2015

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Soldier guns down 7 in Tunis barracks

A Tunisian soldier the authorities say had psychological problems seized a gun at a barracks yesterday and killed seven comrades before being shot dead himself.

The interior ministry said the rampage was not linked to 鈥渢errorism鈥, but a defense ministry spokesman said nothing can be said for sure before an investigation into the incident.

Defense ministry spokesman Belhassen Oueslati said the corporal, whose name was not given, 鈥渉ad family and psychological problems.鈥

Because of this, he had been 鈥渇orbidden from carrying arms鈥 and given 鈥渘on-sensitive duties.鈥

鈥淗e attacked one man with a knife and took his gun before shooting at his comrades who were saluting the flag,鈥 Oueslati said.

The incident 鈥渃aused the deaths of seven soldiers and also of the shooter. Ten soldiers were wounded, and one is in a serious condition,鈥 he said.

Yesterday鈥檚 shooting was at the Bouchoucha barracks in Tunis, not far from parliament and the Bardo National Museum where jihadist gunmen killed 21 foreign tourists and a policeman in March.

Witnesses heard two volleys of gunfire from inside the barracks at around 8:45am, before an ambulance emerged, its siren blaring.

鈥淭he incident which took place at the Bouchoucha barracks is not connected with a terrorist operation,鈥 interior ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui said initially.

Oueslati said the shooter had been killed. 鈥淚nvestigations will show whether this was a terrorist act or not,鈥 he added.

Tunis has been on high alert ever since the March massacre at the National Bardo Museum, which dealt a heavy blow to the North African country鈥檚 tourism industry.


 

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