Tunisia announces probe of presidential assassination attempt

By Adel Thabeti

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) - Tunisia on Thursday said it had launched an investigation of an attempt to assassinate President Kais Saied.

Justice Minister Hasna Ben Slimane told local Mosaique radio that she approved the court of appeals prosecutor investigating the attempt, but gave no further details.

On Tuesday, Saied said in a meeting with former Tunisian prime ministers that "those who seek dialogue shall not go abroad secretly to depose the president in any way, even by assassination."

But he did not name any group or person that might be behind such an attempt, an omission that could raise tensions in the polarized country.

This January, a suspicious envelope that reached the presidential Carthage Palace was feared to be an assassination attempt, but later no poisonous powder was found in the envelope.

Tunisia has been gripped by a deep crisis since Jan. 16 when Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi announced a Cabinet reshuffle, but Saied refused to organize the ceremony for the swearing-in of the new ministers.

The country, amid a major economic downturn exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, has also seen protests in several regions.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara