Militants attack Tunisia, 21 killed as hostages taken

Pressumed to be Islamists, the attackers targeted a cultural museum.

Men dressed in military garb entered a Tunisia museum, opened fire and killed 19 people while taking hostages, ending in a firefight between security forces and the gunmen. The current death count stands at 21. According to Mohamed Ali Aroui, an Interior Ministry spokesman, the attackers at the Bardo Museum in Tunis are thought to be Islamists.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Tunisia is home of the Arab Spring - when anti-government protests erupted and then spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa, sparking revolutions in 2010.

Recently, Tunisian security forces have been focused on working against ISIS threats; they have been "battling a jihadist presence in the Chaambi Mountains," according to CNN.

Light a prayer candle for those in danger in Tunisia-

A group of 100 suspected extremists were arrested in February; the group had the formula for making explosives and worshiped a photograph of ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

It is believed that more than 2,500 Tunisians have traveled to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS.

The capital of Tunisia experienced first hand the cultural attack ISIS has initiated throughout Syria. The museum target is describes as "a jewel of Tunisian heritage," housing the most prestigious works of arts known to Tunisian culture and history.

Although the museum was made the "main attraction" for this attack and hostage situation, reports show security forces in bulletproof vests and black helmets throughout the area, prepared for further attacks.

Of the 21 killed during the attack and rescue, 17 were foreign tourists, according to The New York Times.

A local Tunisian media outlet reported the Tunisian police have rescued the hostages, according to Fox News.

Two gunmen and a security officer were killed when the security forces stormed the museum during the rescue, according to USA Today.

Two to three gunmen, believed to be involved, remain at large, according to Tunisia's prime minister.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online