Update 2 – Tunisia Kills 'Suspected Architect' Of Museum Attack

Tunisian security agencies have killed the suspected chief architect of a recent deadly attack on Tunis' Bardo Museum, Prime Minister Habib Essid conformed Sunday.



"The security forces killed on Saturday the top element of Uqba Ibn Nafi Brigades militant group Luqman Abu Sakhr," told reporters on Sunday.



"Abu Sakhr and his group are responsible for most terrorist attacks that hit the country recently and left dozens of policemen and army personnel dead," he added.



Earlier in the day, an Interior Ministry source told The Anadolu Agency that security forces had killed nine militants, including Khaled al-Shayeb, also known as Luqman Abu Sakhr, in a security operation in the southern province of Gafsa.



In his remarks, Essid hailed the operation as a "successful and strong reaction" to the March 18 attack on Bardo Museum.



Interior Minister Najem Gharsalli said last week that that Abu Sakhr and Uqba Ibn Nafi group were behind the shooting rampage in Tunis' Bardo museum, which left 23 people – mostly foreign tourists – dead.



Tourists from Italy, Japan, Poland and Spain were among those killed in the attack.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Tunis