The attack on the Bardo Museum affects the security of the city, but also the economy based on tourism. Condemnation of President Essebsi, as well as Ennahda, the Islamist party. The death toll rises to 20. The terrorists want to strike a "successful" Arab Spring.

Tunis (AsiaNews) - The Tunisian capital is still reeling from yesterday's attack on the Bardo museum, in the city center. At the same time, there is a strong desire to confront the terrorist violence that targets coexistence, but also the economy.

Already last night, several hundred people gathered on the central avenue of the city to denounce the attack, shouting slogans such as: "Tunisia is free; terrorists out!" and "Tunisia will remain united" (see. photo).

Today messages have poured in from civil society. Even the Islamist Ennahda party, defeated in the last election, through its leader Rashid Ghannouchi, has expressed its condemnation of the violence: "The Tunisian people - he said - will unite to fight against barbarism." In a televised address last night, President Beji Caid Essebsi said that "we are at war against terrorism ... I want the people of Tunisia to be secure ... these traitors will be annihilated."

Meanwhile, the victims of the attack have risen to 20: one of the 40 injured died in hospital.

The victims include tourists from Japan, Italy, Colombia, Australia, France, Spain. Two Tunisians are also among those killed o, including a policeman.

Prime Minister Habib Essid also identified the two terrorists killed: Yassin Abidi and Hatem Khashnaoui, whose name seems to indicate they were Tunisians. Their group of membership is still unknown, even if it is suspected that one of the two, Khashnaoui, was in Iraq to fight alongside the Islamic state.

The attack in the center and one of the most popular tourist sites, is likely to cast a shadow on the economic future of the country, very close to international tourism.

So far, Tunisia had to counter attacks by jihadist groups linked to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which fought mainly on the Algerian border.

According to security sources, the current problem is that there are an estimated 500 Tunisians who emigrated to fight in Iraq, Syria or Libya among the ranks of the Islamic state and have now returned home.

For Mongi Rahoui, a member of the National Front (a coalition of secular parties who fought in the Arab Spring), "these terrorists are opposed to the success of our revolution".

In fact, among all the countries where the Arab Spring spread, Tunisia has so far been the only one free from political chaos and the attacks that have characterized the Middle East and North Africa. But it is also true that tiny Tunisia is bordered by Libya and Algeria.

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