Tunisia attack: Eight 'sleeper cell' suspects held following arrests over Sousse hotel massacre

Possible accomplices of 23-year-old gunman Seiffedine Rezgui

Friday 03 July 2015 07:10

Kamel Jendoubi, Minister to the Prime Minister in charge of Relations with Constitutional Bodies and the Civil Society, right, gestures during a press conference in Tunis

(AP)

The Tunisian government says it has detained eight suspects over the shooting of 38 people at a hotel in Sousse.

A senior government official said 12 people had been arrested in total in the aftermath of the incident, which saw 23-year-old Sousse gunman Seiffedine Rezgui shot dead by police.

Four of those arrested have since been released, while the other eight - seven men and one woman - are being detained for further questioning.

Minister Kamel Jendoubi told reporters on Thursday that the eight were all suspected of direct involvement in last Friday's attack.

He did not elaborate on the identities of the suspects or their roles, saying only that the investigation "has allowed us to discover the network behind the operation in Sousse."

He also urged greater international terrorism cooperation in a "war ... between democratic Tunisia and an international jihadi movement."

Two others were still being hunted by police, and were believed to have trained in Libya alongside both the 23-year-old Sousse gunman Seiffedine Rezgui and the attackers who targeted the Bardo Museum in March, government officials said.

On Tuesday, police in Tunisia released photos of two men identified as Rafkhe Talari and Bin Abdallah, though their connection to the deceased gunman Seifeddine Rezgui was not clear.

Another government minister, Lazhar Akremi, said late on Wednesday: "This is a group who were trained in Libya, and who had the same objective. Two attacked the Bardo and one attacked Sousse.

"Police are hunting for two more."

Of the 38 victims in last Friday's attack on Sousse, 30 are believed to have been British nationals on holiday in the resort town.

The British victims of the Tunisia attack

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1/22The British victims of the Tunisia attack

Janet and John Stocker, in a statement, their children described the couple as the "happiest, most loving" people who enjoyed simple pleasures and the strong love they shared after decades of marriage. "They were both young at heart and enjoyed all that life could offer, and especially enjoyed travelling to new places, exploring and appreciating local cultures, and they died together doing what they enjoyed most; sunbathing side by side," the statement said. Mr Stocker, 74, was a retired printer from Peckham and his 63-year-old wife was born in Fulham. They had five children and 10 grandchildren

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John Welch and Eileen Swannack, a couple in their 70s from Wiltshire, "adored" the Imperial Marhaba hotel and had been going twice a year for eight years. After desperately appealing for information on social media, Ms Swannack's granddaughter wrote on Facebook that the family received news of their deaths

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Denis Thwaites, 70, a former Birmingham City Football Club player, and his wife Elaine Thwaites, 69, were killed in the attack. Birmingham City FC said: "We are deeply shocked and saddened by the death of former player Denis Thwaites and his wife Elaine in the Tunisian terrorist attack." Their daughter Lindsey, who identified their bodies in Tunisia, and son-in-law Daniel Clifford, said in a statement: “Words can't express what all the family are feeling at this difficult time...we would like to take this opportunity to thank people on the ground in this horrendous situation. It was extremely hard to find out any information beforehand but now we completely understand"

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James McQuire, 66, a retired former marine engineer from Cumbernauld in North Lanarkshire, was captain in the Boys' Brigade, a Christian youth organisation that said it was "shocked and deeply saddened" to hear of his and his wife's deaths. Ann McQuire, 63, was a former medial practice receptionist. Their son, Stuart, said: “I just don’t know what to say, I can’t speak.” The couple's minister from Cumbernauld Abronhill Church of Scotland paid tribute to them, saying they had a close family and would be sorely missed. "They had given a life of service to young people and to the church and community"

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Chris Dyer , a 32-year-old engineer from Watford, was on holiday with his wife Gina Van Dort when they were both shot. He died at the scene and doctors said his wife had to be prised from his dead body because she "didn't want to leave him"

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John Stollery, a 58-year-old children's social worker from Nottinghamshire, was described by his family as a special man "who made a difference and gave his best to others". He was on holiday with his wife and son when he was murdered. His wife, Cheryl, said: "We still had a long life to live with plans and dreams for our future together

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Lisa Burbidge, a grandmother from Whickham in Gateshead, was called the "most beautiful, amazing, caring and gentle person in our lives" by her family in a statement. "We have been left with a massive hole in our hearts," it said. "She leaves behind many family members including four fantastic grandchildren who were her world and will miss her tremendously"

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Carly Lovett, a 24-year-old fashion blogger from Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, was the first British victim to be named. Lincolnshire Police said it had appointed a family liaison officer to support Ms Lovett's family and police officers were positioned outside her address, while her fiance was understood to be travelling back home

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Claire Windass, 54, has been named by her family as one of the victims. Ms Windass and her husband Jim Windass lived in Thistlewood Court in Bransholme and were in Sousse for a week's holiday. He was sat next to her as they sunbathed but escaped unharmed and has returned home. A family statement said: "She was a warm, kind-hearted woman who made friends easily and was loved by everyone who knew her. She will be deeply missed"

Humberside Police

Trudy Jones, a 51-year-old mother of four from Blackwood in Gwent, South Wales, was killed. A statement from her family read: "Our mother of all people didn't deserve this, such a caring person who put everyone else before herself. She was the rock of our family and kept us all going. None of us have a clue how we're going to cope without her." They described Ms Jones, who worked at Highfields Nursing Home, as "always willing to help others". "She'll be missed by so many people"

Gwent Police

Bruce Wilkinson, 72, a retired power station worker from Goole in Yorkshire, was also among the victims. His family issued a statement through local MP Andrew Percy saying they were "devastated" at the loss of a devoted husband, father and grandfather"

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Joel Richards, 19, was a student at the University of Worcester. A local football referee and keen Gaelic football player, Birmingham County FA said he had had “the world at his feet” and that he was “highly thought-of and will be sadly missed”

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Sue Davey, 42, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, was the subject of an appeal on Twitter for information from her son, Conor Fulford, who thought he had seen her in a Sky News TV report. He tweeted that he was “sorry to tell you we lost my mother Sue Davey tonight”, adding: "Love you always mum, I've go my teddy bear you got me tonight, rest easy"

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Scott Chalkley, 42, was Ms Davey’s partner. His son Ross Naylor, from Derby, had also launched an online plea for any information on his father but later posted saying Mr Chalkley was “no longer with us”. Severn Trent Water, where both Ms Davey and Mr Chalkley worked, paid tribute to the couple. A spokeswoman said: “We are immensely saddened by the news about Sue and Scott. They were much-loved by their colleagues”

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David Thompson, a retired scientist from Tadley in Hampshire, is also believed to have been killed in the attack. The 80-year-old reportedly worked for the Atomic Weapons Establishment and was described by his neighbours as a "wonderful man"

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Patrick Evans, believed to be aged 78, was killed alongside his son Adrian and his 19-year-old grandson Joel Richards. Joel's 16-year-old brother, Owen, survived the attack

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Adrian Evans, 44, worked for Sandwell Council in the West Midlands as a manager in the gas services department. Council leader Darren Cooper said he was a “very popular and long-serving employee” and his colleagues were “absolutely devastated”

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Christopher Bell, from Leeds, died in the attack along his wife Sharon. Their family issued a statement saying they were "deeply saddened" and knew little about their deaths but were "working with the authorities to gather as much information as possible"

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Mrs Bell, a care manager, was described by colleagues as a "caring, loving woman" who "spent her life looking after other people", while Mr Bell was fondly remembered as a "much loved" member of staff in the ticket office at Leeds railway station

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Stuart Cullen, 52, from the Lowestoft area of Suffolk, is believed to have died instantly. His wife, who was with him, was injured but survived and has returned to the UK

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William, 51 and Lisa Graham, 50, a Scottish couple from Perthshire, were on holiday to celebrate Mrs Graham's 50th birthday. Mr Graham's sister, Lindsay, said that the family received the news they feared after an agonising wait

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The coffin of Stephen Mellor is taken from the RAF C-17 aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Tunisia. Stephen Mellor, an engineer from Bodmin in Cornwall, was killed as he shielded his wife Cheryl on the beach. The other confirmed British victim include: Philip Heathcote, 52, who flew to Tunisia with his wife to celebrate their wedding anniversary, has been confirmed dead by his family, while his wife Allison is in an induced coma while being treated for serious injuries after being shot

Getty

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