Dressed in army fatigues, the gunmen took dozens of hostages in the Bardo Museum, including Italians, Spaniards, French and other foreigners. All but one of the victims are European. The terrorists are thought to belong to the Islamic State group.

Tunis (AsiaNews) - Attackers belonging to the Islamic State (IS) group attacked one of Tunisia's foremost tourist attractions, gunning down eight, and taking hostage dozens more.

The victims were all inside a bus parked in front of the Bardo Museum, not far from the Tunisian Parliament. Dressed like soldiers, the three attackers used machine guns in the attack, local sources reported.

Seven of the eight victims were tourists, but their nationality has not yet been determined.

IS has claimed responsibility for the attack, this according to some media reports.

One of the terrorists, a 22-year-old man, was arrested, whilst two others retreated into a building near the parliament, sources in the security services said.

After surrounding the building where two terrorists were holed up with a group of tourists, Tunisian Special anti-terrorist forces moved in and freed the hostages.

The museum's director is quoted as saying "that the situation on the ground is under control, but there are no precise information about the [death] toll".

According to various media, more than 200 tourists were at the Bardo Museum when the attack took place. Although about 160 were able to escape, the terrorists seized some 20 to 40 people.

Tunisia is the only country where the "Arab Spring" has taken root. However, since the fall of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Islamist attacks have become increasingly frequent in the North African country.

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