Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Deadly Tunisia Museum Attack

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on the popular Bardo Museum in Tunisia that left 23 people dead- most of them foreign tourists from cruise ships.

In an audio recording posted online, the group termed the attack as "blessed invasion of one of the dens of infidels and vice in Muslim Tunisia."

"We tell the apostates who sit on the chest of Muslim Tunisia: Wait for the glad tidings of what will harm you, o impure ones, for what you have seen today is the first drop of the rain," the Islamic State audio said.

The two dead militants charged with killing the tourists are Tunisians and have been identified as Hatem al-Khashnawi and Yassin al-Abidi. Officials from the Tunisian government are yet to confirm the terrorist group's claim of responsibility.

Prime Minister Habib Essid admitted to Abidi being kept under surveillance but said "not for anything very special". In an interview to French RTL radio, the premier said, "We have identified them, it is indeed these two terrorists. Their affiliation is not clear at the moment."

The attack at the museum comes at a fragile moment for the North African country which is in the process of developing into a full democracy since the uprising of 2002. Tunisia is heavily reliant on tourism and the recent shootings destabilize political reforms aimed at improving economic growth.

Once the siege ended, thousands of Tunisians marched to the Bourguiba Avenue. They were seen chanting "Free Tunisia" in defiance of the terrorists.

The attack began on Wednesday morning when the militants dressed in military uniforms began gunning down tourists with assault rifles who were climbing out of buses at the museum.