A gunman disguised as a holidaymaker has killed
at least 37 people, including five Britons, in an attack on a popular
tourist resort.
Terrified sunbathers ran for their lives as the attacker,
dressed in shorts and hiding his Kalashnikov inside an umbrella, opened
fire on the beach in the town of Sousse, Tunisia.He then entered the Imperial Marhaba hotel through the swimming pool area, shooting people as he went and also threw an explosive, witnesses said.
A suspect was arrested after the Tunisia shootings
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed at least five Britons had died and warned the death toll could rise.
Tunisia's health ministry said British, German, Belgian and Tunisian nationals were among the dead. An Irish woman, reportedly a nurse in her 50s with two children, was also killed.
At least 36 people were injured in the assault, which happened just hours after a man was decapitated by attackers brandishing Islamist flags at a French factory.
It is not known if the atrocities were linked.
Earlier this week, Islamic State called on its supporters to increase attacks during Ramadan and "be keen on waging invasion in this eminent month and commit martyrdom".
The gunman in Tunisia was a young student from the city of Kairouan who was reportedly unknown to authorities. He was later shot dead by police.
Speaking about how the country's worst attack in recent history unfolded, security official Rafik Chelli said the gunman "had a parasol (umbrella) in his hand".
"He went down to put it in the sand and then he took out his Kalashnikov and began shooting wildly."
A photo has emerged of a dead man wearing black shorts, face down in the street with an automatic weapon next to him and surrounded by police.
The interior ministry had previously said two attackers were involved, including one who had fled the scene.
Local radio said police captured a second gunman, but officials did not immediately confirm the arrest or his role in the attack.
One man said his son saw someone get shot as he raced back to the hotel from the sea.
Photographs seen by Sky News show one man in his 60s or 70s lying in a pool of blood in his swimming shorts on the sand and next to what appeared to be the body of a woman.
British tourists have been describing what happened. Gary Pine said: "We thought fire crackers were going off but you could see quite quickly what was going on.
"There was a mass exodus off the beach. My son was in the sea at the time and myself and my wife were shouting at him to get out and as he ran up he said I’ve just saw someone get shot.
Holidaymaker Susan Ricketts said: "It sounded like a machine gun going off. There are people crying and going hysterical. We just came up to our room."
Another tourist said: "People are running around the hotel. No-one has really been told what to do."
Prime Minister David Cameron said: "The people who do this do it in the name of a twisted perverted ideology."
A British embassy crisis team is being sent to Tunisia after a COBRA meeting took place to co-ordinate a response.
A spokesman for Thomson and First Choice said: "We are working closely with our teams in Tunisia and the relevant authorities to determine exactly what has happened and provide assistance to those affected."
Back in March Sky's Sherine Tadros reported that the bulk of foreign fighters who have joined the ranks of IS come from Tunisia.
Meanwhile, deadly explosions have hit a Shiite mosque in Kuwait's capital after Friday prayers. Several people have been killed and dozens wounded in the attack.
-SKY News-
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