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Tunisia resort attacker was trained in Libya: Officials

Tunis The gunman who killed 38 tourists in Tunisia received weapons training from jihadists in Libya, a top official said today, as the president admitted security services were unprepared for the attack. On Friday, a student identified as 23-year-old Seifeddine Rezgui pulled a K

Editorial Team Legacy

Published 30 June 2015, 8:00 · Updated 21:29

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Tunisia resort attacker was trained in Libya: Officials

Tunis

The gunman who killed 38 tourists in Tunisia received weapons training from jihadists in Libya, a top official said today, as the president admitted security services were unprepared for the attack.

On Friday, a student identified as 23-year-old Seifeddine Rezgui pulled a Kalashnikov assault rifle from inside a beach umbrella and went on a bloody rampage at the five-star Riu Imperial Marhaba hotel in Port El Kantaoui near Sousse.

Secretary of state for security Rafik Chelli told AFP Rezgui had been in Libya at the same time as the two authors of a March attack at the National Bardo Museum in Tunis that killed 21 tourists and a policeman.

Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group, which controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria.

"It is confirmed that he (Rezgui) went to Libya illegally. He was trained in Sabratha (west of Tripoli)," Chelli said.

"They were away at the same time... In Sabratha, there is only one camp that trains young Tunisians," he said, although he could not confirm whether they had trained together.

The camp was run by the jihadist Ansar al-Sharia group, Chelly added.

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