Tunisia has launched a crackdown on individuals described as extremists, hours after 39 people were killed in an attack in the coastal town of Sousse.
A gunman disguised as a tourist opened fire at the Imperial Marhaba beach hotel with a weapon he had hidden in an umbrella on Friday.
Witnesses of the attack said the assailant took his time, targeting people at point blank range first on the beach and then around the swimming pool, reloading his weapon several times and tossing an explosive.
British, German and Belgian tourists were among the dead, the health ministry said.
The attacker was shot dead by police. Rafik Chelli, a senior interior ministry official, said he was a student, unknown to authorities and not on any watchlist.
Local radio said police captured a second gunman, but officials did not immediately confirm the arrest or his role in the attack.
It was the worst attack in Tunisia’s modern history and the second major massacre this year following the assault on Tunis Bardo museum when gunmen killed 22 mostly foreign visitors.
Responding to the incident, Prime Minister Habib Essid said Tunisia plans within a week to close down 80 mosques that remain outside state control for inciting violence.
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