Tunisian builder has been hailed a hero after knocking gunman to the ground with roof tiles

A local builder who saw the beach gunman running away down an alleyway, threw roof tiles at his head and knocked him down

Munsaf Mayyel showing how he threw roof tiles onto Seifeddine Rezgui from above, knocking him down moments before Tunisian police shot him dead (YouTube/Channel 4)

A local builder has been hailed a hero after it was revealed he tried to stop gunman Seifeddine Rezgui during his brutal rampage through a Tunisian beach resort that left 38 Western tourists dead - at least 18 of whom have been confirmed as Britons.

Munsaf Mayyel, a 56-year-old local builder from Sousse, Tunisia, was standing on a rooftop in the beach town outside Sousse after the attack last Friday when he saw the gunman below him.

Rezgui, 23, ran down the alleyway that Mr Mayyel was over-looking about 25 minutes after he massacred 38 tourists at the Imperial Marhaba Hotel in the biggest terrorist attack on Britons since the 7/7 bombings in 2005.

When Mr Mayyel saw the killer coming, he armed himself with a handful of ceramic and terracotta roof tiles. He threw them at Mr Rezgui’s head knocking him down to the ground. The gunman then got up and started firing wildly into the air seconds before Tunisian police shot him twice, killing him.

In a tearful interview with Channel 4, Mr Mayyel said that he had shouted at the gunman "you terrorist, you dog", and that in apprehending the killer he did "the duty of any Tunisian and any Muslim."

Eighteen Britons and three Irish people have been confirmed among the 38 victims of Friday's shooting spree. The gunman, Mr Rezgui is not believed to have worked alone and authorities are now looking for an accomplice.

Detectives from Metropolitan police as well as forensic science specialists and family liaison officers have flown to Tunisia from the UK to assist with the investigation. Home secretary, Theresa May, said that British security in Tunisia will "look at protective security arrangements around tourist resorts".

Flowers and notes of condolence have been laid along the beach where innocent holiday-makers were killed. Mr Mayyel is one of many locals said to have acted heroically. Witnesses have described how Tunisian resort staff tried to protect tourists in the adjacent hotels, including forming a human shield to stop him entering buildings.