Tunisia declares state of emergency after beach attack

Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi declared a state of emergency on Saturday to hand his government more authority following an attack on a beach hotel, where 38 foreign tourists, mostly British, were killed.

Tunisia's emergency law temporarily gives the government more executive flexibility, hands the army and police more authority and restricts certain rights such as the right to public assembly.

A statement from the president's office said Essebsi would give a speech on national television to give more details.

The killings at Tunisia’s Sousse beach resort last Friday followed a gun attack on the Bardo museum in Tunis in March: two of the worst assaults in Tunisia's modern history, and a pressing threat to its vital tourism industry.

Tunisian officials said all three gunmen in those two attacks had been trained at the same time, over the border at camps in Libya, where a conflict between two rival governments has allowed armed  groups to gain ground.

Tunisia last had a state of emergency during the 2011 uprising that ousted long-time autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.

Reuters