A terrorist group reportedly affiliated with ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack on a museum in Tunisia on March 18 that killed 22 people, mainly foreign tourists.
A purported announcement by the group — Jund al-Khilafah, or Soldiers of the Caliphate — was posted on YouTube on Monday as a five-minute audio recording, the New York Times said.
The recording, which was taken down by the site on Tuesday, featured an image of a black banner and the voice of man warning that the attack would not be the last.
“We give you the glad tidings that we are soldiers of the Islamic State in your land — Jund al-Khilafah, soldiers of the Caliph Abu Bakr, may Allah preserve him,” a translation by the SITE Intelligence Group quotes the speaker as saying in Arabic. The speaker is apparently referring to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
“Surely, the security of Tunisia will see horror, and surely you will see assassinations and explosions,” he adds. “Two men from among our soldiers immersed and acted against you and your citizens. So what if we send dozens and dozens?”
The recording also contains direct threats to several Tunisian political leaders, including the country’s President Beji Caid Essebsi, Prime Minister Habib Essid, the Defense and Interior Ministers, and members of the army and the national guard.
Essid, meanwhile, announced Sunday that a leading suspect in the attack had been killed in an antiterrorism operation on the border with Algeria.
[NYT]
- The 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time
- Inside One Indian iPhone Factory
- What Beyoncé Gave Us
- Congress Avoided a Shutdown. What Happens Next?
- What Happens to Diane Feinstein's Senate Seat
- The Enduring Charm of John Grisham
- Kerry Washington: The Story of My Abortion
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
