Tunisia rocked by twin ‘suicide car bomb’ attacks

International Desk: Tunisia's capital was rocked by two suicide bomb attacks, killing one police officer and wounding several other people.

In the first attack, a police patrol vehicle was targeted near the French embassy in the centre of Tunis at around 11:00am.

Shortly afterwards, a second suicide bomber blew himself up near a police station in al-Qarjani district.

In the first attack a police officer was killed and three civilians were wounded.

Body parts were seen lying beside a pockmarked vehicle on the corner of Charles de Gaulle Street in central Tunis.

It was around 100 yards from France's embassy and also close to the Palmarium shopping centre which was targeted by a female suicide bomber in October.

Four people were wounded in the second attack and heavily armed police cordoned off streets.

It was not immediately known who was behind the attack.

Tunisia has been battling militant groups operating in remote areas near the border with Algeria since an uprising overthrew autocratic leader Zine Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

Habib Bourguiba Avenue is in the heart of the commercial and tourist district and is lined with western hotels and a theatre.

British tourists have only recently started returning to Tunisia after the Sousse beach massacre and Bardo museum shooting in 2015. _Agencies

risingbd/Dhaka/June 27, 2019/AKA