Tunisian police officer shot on outskirts of resort attack town

Two men on a motorcycle opened fire on three policemen in Sousse using a rifle.

An interior ministry spokesman said the two other policemen were unharmed, contrary to an earlier report from Wataniya-1 television.

At the time of attack, the three policemen were waiting for transportation to the town Kairouan from the low income neighborhood of Hay Zohour.

The statement said the other two men were not wounded, while the one shot died on the way to the hospital. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. “We can’t say any more”, said Chelly, without being able to clarify if the attack was the work of jihadists.

The tourism, which makes up about 7 percent of the economy, slowed in June, after a gunman killed 38 mostly British tourists in the seaside city of Sousse.

Since its 2011 uprising ousted autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has emerged as a model for democratic transition in the Middle East. But the North African state has also struggled with a rising militant threat.

Tunisia’s government blames Libya for the increase in terrorism, accusing their neighbor of being a safe haven for Islamist extremists targeting the country.

A Tunisian policeman has been shot dead by a gunman on a motorbike in the resort of Sousse, where 30 Britons were killed in a terror attack.