Tunisian police have reportedly arrested nine Tunisian nationals suspected of planning attacks on visiting military officers from the United States. Two of the detainees are members of the Tunisian Air Force.
The detainees allegedly planned to assassinate the American military officers who make periodical visits to Tunisia for joint military training exercises, the German Deutsche Presse Agentur reported. Over the past few years, Tunisia has clamped down on radical Islamists, jailing more than 1,000 people.
“A report by police investigating the case said the suspects planned to carry out an attack against the American officers during the joint exercises as part of military cooperation between Tunisia and the U.S.,” Samir ben Amor told Reuters. Ben Amor said the men would be charged next month with attempting to steal weapons and explosives from the base and use them to attack the US servicemen.
