Media reports help terrorists to evade capture, claim Tunisian ministries

The Defence and Interior Ministries in Tunisia have said that they will prosecute those media outlets which publish information about ongoing anti-terrorism operations in different areas of the country. Such reports, they insist, affect national security and help terrorists to escape detection and capture.

“The reports published in some of media outlets contain information related to security operations,” the ministries said in a joint statement. “As such, our officers lose the element of surprise and their own safety is compromised.”

Should this happen again, they warned, even unintentionally, it will be regarded as the disclosure of national secrets with appropriate legal consequences for those responsible.

“One suspect already in detention has said that the terrorist groups benefit from information gleaned from media reports, making it possible for them to evade capture and prosecution,” said the ministries’ statement.