Tunisia said Tuesday the brother of a jihadists leader and a woman accused of running the "media wing" of a radical group were among 12 arrested by security forces over "terrorism" charges. Since the 2011 uprising that ousted Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, Tunisia has seen a proliferation of jihadist militias suppressed under the former autocratic president.
The 12 suspects were accused of trying to organise a car bomb attack "this week" on an "important figure," interior ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui said without giving further details. One of those arrested was Hafedh Ben Hassine, brother of Seif Allah ben Hassine, also known as Abou Iyadh, the head of the Ansar al-Sharia jihadist group classified by Tunisia and Washington as a "terrorist" organisation.
A 20-year-old medical student Fatma Zouaghi was also arrested. Aroui said in a news conference she had "admitted" to running the "media wing" of Ansar al-Sharia, which was responsible for posting online details of operations carried out by the group. A spokesman for the prosecutor general Sofiene Sliti confirmed to AFP 12 warrants had been issued over "terrorist charges," without giving further details. These groups have been blamed for a wave of attacks, including the assassination last year of two opposition lawmakers whose murders plunged the country into a protracted political crisis.
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