Tunisian army shoots ‘infiltrators’ near Algerian border

Tunisian troops stationed near the border with Algeria opened fire on Saturday on an SUV after it crossed into Tunisian territory, the Tunisian Defence Ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, the army opened fire on the vehicle after it failed to stop following warning shots fired into the air.

The vehicle was carrying ten people. Eight of the passengers were from Morocco and two did not have identification documents but claimed they were Algerians, the statement said.

Three passengers were shot in the leg area, while the driver died on the way to a nearby hospital, the statement explained.

The ministry statement said that the ten men were planning to cross into Libya to immigrate to Europe.

Meanwhile, the Tunisian Ministry of Interior revealed in a statement that an intelligence operation stationed near the Libyan border had resulted in the arrest of a terrorist cell a few days ago, which included five Tunisian nationals.

According to the statement, the dismantled cell planned to cross into Tunisia in order to carry out terrorist attacks there.