Terrorism

Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Tunisia and there have been a number of attacks in recent years.

There is a high threat of terrorist attack globally affecting UK interests and British nationals, including from groups and individuals who view the UK and British nationals as targets. You should remain vigilant at all times.

UK Counter Terrorism Policing has information and advice on staying safe abroad and what to do in the event of a terrorist attack. Find out how to reduce your risk from terrorism while abroad.

The main terrorist threat is from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Libya-based extremists with links to Daesh (formerly referred to as ISIL). Despite some improvements in border security, Tunisia has a porous border with Libya, where there is a continuing conflict, an absence of security, and where Islamist terrorist groups operate. Tunisian security forces have repeatedly been targeted in terrorist-related incidents, mainly in border areas including in the Chaambi Mountains.

A nationwide state of emergency, first imposed after a suicide attack on a police bus in November 2015, remains in place. Follow the advice of local security officials, including in and around religious sites.

Crowded areas, government installations, transportation networks, businesses with Western interests, and areas where foreign nationals and tourists are known to gather may be at higher risk of attack. You should follow any specific advice of the local security authorities. In more remote areas of the country, including tourist sites in southern Tunisia, security forces’ response times to an incident may vary.

There’s a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation interests. Additional security measures have been in place on flights departing from Tunisia to the UK since March 2017. You should co-operate fully with security officials.

The Tunisian authorities regularly report that they have disrupted planned attacks and terrorist cells and made arrests. The Tunisian authorities have improved security in tourist resorts and their ability to respond to a terrorist incident. Tunisian security forces have also improved and are better prepared to tackle terrorist threats than they were at the time of the 2015 attacks. But further attacks remain likely, including in places visited by foreigners such as tourist resorts. Attacks may be carried out by individuals unknown to the authorities, whose actions may be inspired by terrorist groups. There have been a number of self-initiated attacks in recent months.

Recent incidents include:

  • on 3 July a National Guard officer was stabbed in a knife attack in the Goulette area of Tunis.
  • in May 2023, a fatal shooting took place on the island of Djerba, near where Tunisian and international visitors were taking part in the annual Jewish pilgrimage at the El Ghriba synagogue. Three security personnel and two civilians were killed, and ten people were injured.

  • in June 2022, two security officers were injured in a knife attack by an assailant near a synagogue in central Tunis.

  • in January 2022, January three passengers on a tram at Bab Alioua station in Tunis were injured after a knife attack.

  • in November 2021, police shot and wounded an assailant who attacked them with a knife and axe in front of the Interior Ministry on Habib Bourguiba avenue, central Tunis.

  • in September 2020, two officers of Tunisia’s National Guard were attacked by three assailants in Sousse. Security forces later killed all three attackers.

  • in March 2020, a suicide bombing targeting a police patrol near the US Embassy in Tunis killed one police officer and injured four more, as well as a civilian.

  • in October 2019, a French national was stabbed to death in Zarzouna, northern Tunisia, by an individual who then attacked a Tunisian soldier.

  • in June 2019, there were 2 suicide bombings targeting security personnel in central Tunis; 3 people, including the perpetrators, were killed.

  • in October 2018, 15 security personnel and 5 civilians were injured in a bombing on Avenue Habib Bourguiba in central Tunis.

  • in July 2018, militants attacked security forces near Ghardimaou, close to the Algerian border. A number of Tunisian National Guard officers were killed. This follows separate media reports in early July 2018 of Tunisian security forces disrupting a terrorist group in Hammamet.

  • in June 2015, 38 foreign tourists were killed, including 30 British nationals, in a terrorist attack at Port El Kantaoui near Sousse.

  • in March 2015, 21 tourists were killed, including a British national, in a terrorist attack at the Bardo Museum in the centre of Tunis.

Kidnap

There is a threat of kidnapping by groups operating in North Africa, particularly from Libya, Mauritania and groups originating in the Sahel. This includes Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQ-IM) and Daesh-affiliated groups, who may travel across the region’s porous border. There is a heightened risk of kidnap in border and remote desert areas of North Africa. Terrorist groups have kidnapped foreigners, government officials and civilians in the region for financial gain and for political leverage. Further kidnaps are likely.

Those engaged in tourism, humanitarian aid work, journalism or business sectors are viewed as legitimate targets. If you’re kidnapped, the reason for your presence is unlikely to serve as a protection or secure your safe release.

The long-standing policy of the British government is not to make substantive concessions to hostage takers. The British government considers that paying ransoms and releasing prisoners increases the risk of further hostage taking. The Terrorism Act (2000) also makes payments to terrorists illegal.