The Tunisian Interior Ministry clarified that it is “Ridha Amri, nicknamed Abou Aïcha, of the Jound al-Khilafa group, affiliated with the terrorist organization Daesh”
The Tunisian Interior Ministry announced on Friday the arrest of a “dangerous terrorist belonging to the terrorist organization Daesh”, following a preventive operation in Kasserine, in the west of the country, described as “successful”.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement, consulted by the Anadolu Agency: “The special units of the National Guard (gendarmerie), in collaboration with the Special Forces of the National Army, have arrested the terrorist Ridha Amri, nicknamed Abu Aïcha, from the Jound al-Khilafa group affiliated with the terrorist organization Daesh”.
He added that “the operation was carried out following receipt of information from the counterterrorism department of the National Guard that he (Ridha Amri) intended to join the Okba ibn Nafaa brigade, affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb”.
The Interior Ministry indicated that “the arrest of this terrorist took place near Mount Jabal Al-Seif in the delegation of Foussana (in the governorate of Kasserine) and the seizure of an assault rifle of the type Steyr, a number of magazines, a quantity of ammunition and an artisanal mine.”
And to stress that “the investigations are continuing in coordination with the prosecutor near the judicial pole of the fight against terrorism (jurisdiction specializing in terrorist crimes).”
Tunisia has witnessed, since May 2011, terrorist acts whose frequency has increased since 2013 and which have claimed the lives of dozens of security personnel, soldiers, civilians, and foreign tourists.
