Tunisia Makes Arrests in Bardo Museum Attack

The government of Tunisia executed a series of raids that resulted in a number of arrests after a bloody attack on the Bardo Museum in the city of Tunis.

Reuters reports that Tunisian security forces apprehended more than 20 people suspected of harboring ties with radicals Islamist groups. More than 10 of those arrested are believed to have played a direct role in the Bardo attack.

The arrests came as hundreds of Tunisians gathered outside a cathedral in the capital to commemorate the 23 victims of the attack on the Bardo Museum. The attack claimed the lives of 20 foreign tourists and three Tunisians including a member of the security forces. The tourist victims came from a wide variety of countries including Japan, Italy, Poland, France, and Colombia.

The attackers responsible for the atrocity are said to have trained in an Islamist camp in Libya, which is currently in the midst of a civil war between a number of secular and Islamsist factions that are vying for control of the government. The fighting has allowed a security vacuum to form. The Islamic State seems to have entered the void, recently releasing one of its grisly execution videos from territory it claims in Libya.

To reassure citizens and international businesses, the Tunisian government has recently announced plans to deploy the army to cities and towns throughout the country to reinforce local police forces.

The attack at the Bardo has been interpreted by many as an attack on Tunisia's nascent democracy. While most of the countries caught up in the Arab Spring have either descended into Civil War or autocratic regimes, Tunisia has managed to host a number of elections and draft a constitution.