NOVANEWS
At least eight people have died following a shooting at a museum in Tunis, the Tunisian Interior Ministry says. Two militants disguised as soldiers carried out the attacks, while hostages are still believed to be in the building.
Militants dressed as soldiers have attacked the Tunisia Assembly, local journalists say. The parliament, who was in session during the time of the attack, is located in Bardo Palace, which is also home to a national museum.
A spokesman for the Tunisian Interior Ministry, Mohammed al-Aroui has confirmed a hostage situation is taking place at the Bardo Museum.
The Ministry says that seven tourists have been killed and the other victim is a Tunisian citizen. There are has been unconfirmed reports that the foreign tourists were from France, Spain and Italy.
He added that there were at least two armed men in the museum and the parliamentary building had been evacuated as a precaution. The attack focused on the museum.
Lawmakers confirmed to AFP gunfire was heard. However, it is not clear whether shots were fired inside the assembly itself or already in the museum.
Unconfirmed images of hostages circulate the web. According to geotagging, they were taken inside the Bardo National Museum.
Reuters say that Tunisian security forces are surrounding the two militants, who are currently holed up inside the museum. Local reports say that 160 tourists have been rescued from the museum via a back door, while around 20 to 30 are still inside the building.
Reuters reports a large police presence outside Bardo as they are evacuating the parliament building after an exchange of gunfire outside the premises.
