At least 37 killed in Tunisia terror attacks on two hotels

One attacker killed in firefight, minister says; British, German, French tourists among dead

Tunisia’s Interior Ministry said two gunmen opened fire on a beach in front of two hotels in the coastal resort city of Sousse on Friday afternoon, killing at least 37 people, according to local TV reports.

A security source in Tunisia told Reuters that one of the hotels targeted was the Imperial Marhaba.

Among the dead were French, British, German, Belgian and Russian tourists.

Interior Ministry Spokesman Mohammed Ali Aroui said that one of the gunmen was killed and police were pursuing the other.

According to Sky News, tourists barricading themselves in their hotel rooms, as the firefight was ongoing.

Sousse, some 150 kilometers from Tunis, is a popular resort for both Tunisians and Europeans.

Tunisia has been battered by terrorist attacks, most recently in March when two Tunisians returning from Libya killed 22 people at the national museum.

Earlier Friday, France was hit with a terror attack on a gas factory, which killed one and hurt several others. A decapitated head and Islamist flags were found on the site.

In Kuwait, the Islamic State on Friday took responsibility for a deadly bombing on a mosque that killed at least 13 people.