Tunisian PM to shut down 80 mosques after terror attack

Tunisia will shut down about 80 mosques accused of inciting violence, Prime Minister Habib Essid has said, after a terrorist attack on a beach left 39 people dead.

Essid said the mosques, which operate outside state control, are spreading "venom" and will be closed within a week.

The announcement comes in the aftermath of yesterday’s attack in which a gunman opened fire on tourists in the resort town of Sousse.

Tunisians, Britons, Germans, Belgians, French and at least one Irish citizen were among those killed when a gunman opened fired on the beach, before entering the Hotel Riu Imperial Marhaba, continuing to shoot with an assault rifle he had hidden in a parasol. 

Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack, identifying the gunman as Abu Yahya al-Qayrawani. Social media accounts close to the group showed pictures of him.

IS had urged followers to step up assaults during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

The gunman was shot dead by police. Officials say he was an engineering student not previously known to authorities.

This was the second major attack on tourists in Tunisia since March, when militants killed 22 people, mainly foreigners, at a museum in the capital.

Speaking at a news conference in Tunis, Mr Essid said: "Some mosques continue to spread their propaganda and their venom to promote terrorism." He said they would be closed by the interior ministry.