Tunisia Museum Attack Places Country’s Tourism Industry, Economic Growth At Risk

Mar 19, 2015 08:55 AM EDT

(Photo : Reuters) Police officers are seen on the pavement outside parliament in Tunis March 18, 2015. Gunmen attacked Tunisia's national museum near its parliament on Wednesday, killing at least seven tourists and taking others hostage inside the building, the government said. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi (TUNISIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CRIME LAW TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid admitted on Thursday that the Wednesday midday attack on the National Bardo Museum in Tunis, which killed 19 people, including tourists, is a blow to the country's tourist industry as well as economy.

Of the 19 victims, 17 were foreigners - Polish, Italian, Spanish and German - and two locals. One of the dead Tunisians is a member of the security forces, while another is a female member of the maintenance unit. Another 44 people were injured.

Like Us on Facebook

Tourism is Tunisia's main sources of foreign currency, particularly those coming from Europe. According to the World Bank, an average of 5.95 million foreign tourists visited Tunisia yearly from 2010 to 2014.

Reports said that two gunmen open fire inside the museum. After the shooting, two of the gunmen were killed, while some fled and are still at large, according to Fox. The tourists were initially taken as hostages, but security forces stormed the museum.

The terrorists were armed with Kalashnikovs and dressed in military fatigue. Those killed by security forces are believed to be Tunisians.

While there is no evidence directly linking the incident with the Islamic State (IS), supporters of the terrorist group spread celebratory messages on social media. They also cited a video released online in December where Abu Moqatel, a Tunisian militant, urged support for the IS and warned of attacks.

"You will not live in safety as long as Tunisia is not ruled by Islam," he said then, quotes the New York Times.

In spite of Tunisia being the most successful democracy among Arab nations, the country is one of the biggest sources of foreign fighters who join the IS.

The Wednesday attack is seen as a test of the democratic shift in Tunisia after it booted dictator Abidine Ben Ali in 2011 and held its first election in late 2014. It created fears that the new democratic government would be tempted to revert to authoritarianism to battle the terrorist threats.

The terrorist attack did not damage the museum or its collection of antiquities such as important mosaic from the Roman and Carthaginian era and ceramics, statuary and jewelry from the Phoenician and Byzantine eras.