Policeman killed by suicide bomber at US embassy in Tunis

TUNIS - Tunisia's interior ministry said two suicide bombers blew themselves up near the US Embassy in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, Friday, wounding five police officers.

A ministry statement said the attackers both died and a civilian was slightly injured with no mention of any deaths, but state news agency TAP reported that one policeman was killed.

The ministry later confirmed that one of the police officers, identified as Lieutenant Taoufik Mohammed El Nissaoui, had died of his injuries.

"All the security units are on high alert," the ministry said.

The explosion took place near the embassy's main gate, where a Reuters journalist saw a scorched, damaged motorbike and a damaged police vehicle lying amid debris as police gathered around and a helicopter whirled overhead.

Police said the attackers targeted the US embassy, causing an explosion and injuries among police before being killed. The assailants tried to enter the embassy but were prevented by police who guarded the diplomatic mission in the Berges du Lac district, a police official said.

"The operation was doomed to fail," he said.

Police said the attackers had been riding a motorcycle. They did not immediately confirm if it was a suicide attack, but body parts were seen strewn on the ground at the scene. Tunisian media reported that two people on a motorcycle set off the blast. 

The private Radio Mosaique said it was a suicide attack and reported that five police officers were wounded in the explosion. The station said the two attackers approached the police patrol as if to seek information before setting off an explosive device.

The explosion caused panic among pedestrians near the embassy, images shared online showed. Photographs of the blast site showed debris strewn around the area of a security checkpoint that controls access to the embassy and damaged vehicles.

Tunisia faced a rise in jihadist activity after its 2011 revolution, with attacks killing dozens of security personnel, civilians and foreign tourists.

Last summer, Islamic State said it was behind militant blasts that struck the capital over the course of a week, including one near the French embassy that killed a policeman.

While the security situation has significantly improved since a series of deadly attacks in 2015, which killed scores of visitors at a beach resort and a popular museum, Tunisia has maintained a state of emergency for four years and assaults against security forces have persisted.

Diplomats who have worked with Tunisia on its security capacity say it has grown more effective in preventing and responding to militant attacks in recent years.