10.34 Henry Samuel in Paris reports on the French reaction to the terrorist attack in its former colony:
Tunisian authorities say that between 3,000 and 4,000 Tunisians are currently fighting alongside extremist groups in Syria and Iraq. Around 500 have returned to Tunisia.
In Le Figaro, Sayda Ounissi, an Ennahda MP, was sitting on a parliamentary committee next door when the attack occured. She said:
Members of the army's Chief of Staff were precisely in the process of telling us about the gaps in the security system, notably due to a lack of means. Then were told that shots were being fired and we had to evacuate."
The fear is to see the fragile coalition government shatter, she said. Ms Ounissis rejected claims that Ennahda allowed radical Islamists to prosper while it was in power fom 2011 to 2014.
These are illegitimate accusations. We are the ones who singled out Salafist organisations as terrorists and pursued them. This attack proves that the problem is structural."
In his Libération editorial, Kamel Daoud, writes whether Algiers or Cairo like it or not:
Tunis is the true heart of the so-called 'Arab' world. So the jihadists struck at the heart yesterday, namely by attacking a cultural centre (these museums that Isil is reducing to rubble), killing tourists (souce of the Tunisian economy) next to parliament (the place of fragile democracy) where more efficient anti-terror laws were due to be passed."
The risk after the attacks, he warned, was the "Ben Alisation" of Tunisia's security forces, which were widely hated under the country's former dictator.
However, in Le Parisien, Mansouria Mokhefi, special Middle East advisor at the French institute of international relations, Ifri, warned: "The Tunisian army is not up to facing the jihadist threat. They do not offer sufficient guarantees. They are not sufficiently well trained."
In the South of the country, it is the Algerian military that keeps watch over the border in its place and represses islamists. Tunisia is not ready to face them and that's the main problem."
10.20 The MSC Splendida cruise ship left Tunis for Barcelona at 7.00am today with one British passenger unaccounted for, the company has said in a statement:
Based on the communication made by officials authorities, MSC Cruises, its ownership and entire management team report with profound sadness that at the time of this announcement nine of its guests are reported to have lost their lives, 12 were injured, and six (two Spanish nationals, one Belgian, one British, one French and one Japanese) are still unaccounted for in conjunction with the tragic event at the Bardo Museum. However, these numbers are still subject to modification whilst official identification is on-going.
10.10 In a bizarre coincidence, it turns out the pianist on board the Costa Fascinosa - one of the cruise ships in Tunis from which tourists were caught up in the attack - was also on board the Costa Concordia when it capsized in Jan 2012 off Giglio.
Antonello Tonno is the pianist on board the Costa Fascinosa, although he did not disembark in Tunis and was on board the ship when the attack at the Bardo Museum happened. He told Italian media:
Mine is a tragic destiny - to be called by journalists once again about a drama that I have been involved in.
He said he first became aware of the attack when he received a text message from his wife, as he was on the outskirts of Tunis.
I'm reliving the same powerful emotions that I went through during the sinking of the Concordia.
As soon as I received the text message I went back on board the ship. There was a great deal of apprehension, with passengers glued to their mobiles trying to get information
The Costa Fascinosa left Tunis at 0200 local time this morning, as scheduled. But it left without 13 passengers who were caught up in the attack. Between three and four Italians were killed in the terrorist assault and around a dozen injured.
09.07 A British tourist is among 12 passengers on the MSC Splendida cruise ship unaccounted for in the Tunis museum attack, and has yet to return to the ship, MSC has said in a statement.
Of the 12 Splendida passengers believed injured in the attack, six have yet to return to the ship, including two tourists from Spain and one each from Belgium, Britain, France and Japan, the company said.
Nine of the tourists killed at the Tunisian museum on Wednesday were also passengers on the MSC Splendida cruise ship, the tour company said on Thursday.
Here is the full Foreign Office statement regarding the two Britons "caught up" in yesterday's attack:
We can confirm that two British nationals were caught up in the shootings in Tunis on Wednesday and that we are providing consular assistance. We are working with the Tunisian authorities as well as with contacts in the tourist industry to establish if any further British nationals have been affected. Through our travel advice, we are urging people to exercise caution and follow the instructions of the local authorities.
08.44 The Tunisian press have published more detalis about the alleged gunmen - Jabeur Khachnaoui, from the city of Kasserine, and Yassine Laabidi, from a place called Ibn Khaldoun.
Khachnaoui reportedly disappeared from Tunisia three months ago and called his parents from Iraq.
08.30 Tunisians took to the streets of their capital last night to denounce the terrorist attacks on a museum which left 19 innocent people dead and around 40 wounded, reports Nick Squires from Tunis.
Large crowds gathered in the centre of Tunis, waving flags, singing the national anthem and shouting slogans against the gunmen who launched the daylight attack on the Bardo Museum, famous for its collections of ancient Roman mosaics and other antiquities.
People also lit candles outside the museum in memory of the 17 tourists and two Tunisians who were shot dead by at least two gunmen.
The hashtags #JeSuisBardo and #JeSuisTunisien were trending on Twitter, as people around the world expressed their solidarity with the latest country to suffer a murderous attack by Islamist extremists.
They were an echo of the #JeSuisCharlie phenomenon that arose after the terrorist attacks on the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris in January.
Some Twitter uses posted photos of themselves holding up signs saying “I will come to Tunisia this summer”, amid fears that the terrorist attack could cripple the country’s tourism industry.
Read in full: Tunisians rally in #JeSuisBardo protests against museum shootings
Tunisians light candles at the entrance gate of the National Bardo Museum (AP)
07.30 One of the two gunmen who killed 17 foreign tourists and two Tunisians at the Bardo museum was known to intelligence services, Tunisia's prime minister has said.
But no formal links to a particular terror group have been established.
In an interview with RTL radio on Thursday, Habib Essi said Tunisia is working with other countries to learn more about the attackers, identified as Yassine Laabidi and Hatem Khachnaoui. He said Laabidi had been flagged to intelligence, although not for "anything special."
The assailants are "probably" Tunisian, according to the interior ministry spokesman.
Meanwhile, two of the cruise ships with passengers among the victims left the port of Tunis. MSC Cruises said nine passengers from the Splendida were killed, 12 injured and six unaccounted-for. Another ship, the Costa Fascinosa, said 13 passengers had not returned on board when the ship left port overnight.
People being held hostage by gunmen in the Bardo museum, Tunisia (Twitter)
04.35 Three Japanese tourists are among the victims of the massacre, according to Shinzo Abe, the country's Prime Minister. ""No matter what the reasons were, terrorism can never be forgiven. We strongly condemn this,"
03.13 Michelle Obama, the First Lady, has offered condolences on behalf of herself and her husband to Tunisia. Japanese tourists were among those who were victims of the attackers.
I want to join in with the others to express our condolences over the horrific event yesterday in Tunisia," she told the audience.
"Our hearts go out to the loved ones of those who were lost here in Japan and around the world. They are very much in our thoughts and prayers today.
00.50 The Foreign Office has said that two Britons were caught up in the shooting. However, despite reports that two Britons had been killed, a spokesman declined to confirm they were among the fatalities.
"We can confirm that two British nationals were caught up in the shootings in Tunis on Wednesday and that we are providing consular assistance.
"We are working with the Tunisian authorities as well as with contacts in the tourist industry to establish if any further British nationals have been affected.
"Through our travel advice, we are urging people to exercise caution and follow the instructions of the local authorities."
23.47 More strong words from Beji Caid Essebsi, the Tunisian president. "Democracy will win and it will survive. It is a critical moment in our history and a defining moment in our future."
21.47 Josep Lluis Cusido, the mayor of the Spanish town of Vallmoll, told AP he saw people being gunned down on the plaza outside the museum before the gunmen moved inside.
"After they entered the museum. I saw their faces: They were about 10 metres away from me, shooting at anything that moved," Mr Cusido told Spain's Cadena Ser radio station.
"I managed to hide behind a pillar, there were unlucky people who they killed right there," he said, adding that he and his wife spent nearly three hours in the museum until they got out uninjured.
21.15 The Telegraph's Nick Squires is in Tunis and has spoken to victims in hospital following the attack.
Many Italians were caught up in the attack, having arrived in Tunis by cruise ship on Wednesday morning, Nick Squires writes.
They were travelling on board two big cruise liners, the Costa Fascinosa and the MSC Splendida. They were only supposed to be in Tunis for a few hours, including a visit to the Bardo Museum, before returning to the ships for the next leg of their cruises.
20.44 The Tunisian press say one of the gunmen reportedly disappeared from Tunisia three months ago and called his parents from Iraq.
Meanwhile, we have this report Colin Freeman and Nick Squires in Tunis:
Islamic State militants were blamed on Wednesday night for a massacre of 20 foreign tourists at Tunisia’s national museum , in what was feared to be revenge for the killing of a leader of the terror group in neighbouring Libya .
Speculation in the Tunisian media pointed to the involvement of militants loyal to Rouissi, who was nicknamed Tunisia’s “black box of terrorism” after security forces found a laptop belonging to him that gave details of his group’s strategies. Prior to joining Isil, the 48-year-old is said to have been behind a string of bombings in Tunisia and also the assassinations in 2013 of two left-wing politicians, Chokri Belaid and Mohammed Brahmi.
He was reported to have been killed on Saturday in the Libyan city of Sirte, where Isil has established a foothold. His forces were said to have been in combat with fighters from Libya Dawn, a coalition of more moderate Islamists based in the city of Misurata, who are anxious not to let Isil become a rival for power.
20.13 There are images and comments shared on Twitter of a protest against terrorism in downtown Tunis.
20.08 One of the victims of the attack at the Bardo Museum described her ordeal, Nick Squires in Tunis reports.
Edwigo Olesveski, 64, from Poland, was visiting the museum, famed for its Roman mosaics, when the gunmen opened fire.
She believes she fainted from the shock of hearing the gunfire. She was then shot in the elbow as the gunmen sprayed bullets indiscriminately.
Speaking from her bed in the Charles Nicolle hospital in Tunis, she said: “I was leaving the museum with my tour group when I heard machine gun fire and fainted.”
Her husband was shot in the leg.
They and 14 other injured tourists are being treated for gunshot wounds tonight at the hospital.
There were Poles, Japanese, German, French and Italian.
19.52 Beji Caid Essebsi, the Tunisian president, has been speaking on TV and said there would be no mercy for terrorists.
I want the Tunisian people to understand that we are in a war against terrorism and that these savage minorities do not frighten us," he said in brief remarks on television.
"We will fight them without mercy to our last breath."
Meanwhile in Spain, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, the country's foreign minister, gave a press conference in Valencia to confirm the deaths of two Spanish citizens, during Tunisia's terrorist attack, earlier in the day
(EPA/KAI FOERSTERLING)
19.31 Before Wednesday’s raid on the Bardo museum in Tunis, the country’s tourist industry had been making a remarkable comeback, writes Natalie Paris, Telegraph's Travel News Editor.
After a dip immediately following the Arab Spring, which began with a wave of protests in Tunisia in December 2010, 408,655 British nationals visited the country in 2013 and 424,707 did so last year.
In the run-up to Easter, as trouble continued to flare in Egypt, bookings for 2015 were looking healthy, too.
Following Wednesday’s attack, British tourists were warned by the Foreign Office to avoid visiting the area around the Bardo museum “until further notice”and tour operators were cancelling excursions due to run to the capital in the next few days as a precaution.
Members of the Tunisian security services take up a position outside the National Bardo Museum
Abta, the association of British travel agents, said there are around 6,500 Britons in Tunisia at the moment.
18.39 There are quite a few Polish people caught up in attack on the museum, reports Matthew Day in Warsaw.
Marcin Wojciechowski, foreign ministry spokesman, said 11 Poles are injured and there are fatalities.
Poland is dispatching an emergency team with doctors and psychologists.
18.29 The United States on Wednesday denounced the attack and vowed to stand with the Tunisian people.
"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today's deadly terrorist attack at the National Bardo Museum in Tunis," John Kerry, US secretary of state, said in a statement.
Extending America's sympathies to the victims and their families, Mr Kerry said Washington "stands with the Tunisian people at this difficult time and continues to support the Tunisian government's efforts to advance a secure, prosperous, and democratic Tunisia."
Tunisian security forces secure the area after gunmen attacked Tunis' Bardo Museum (AFP/Getty Images)
18.01 UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon "condemns in the strongest terms today's attack" against the Bardo museum and "conveys his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this deplorable act," said Farhan Haq, his deputy spokesman.
The secretary general also "expresses his solidarity with the Tunisian people and the Tunisian authorities," the spokesman said, reported AFP.
17.26 An official at the Italian foreign ministry in Rome said two Italians had been wounded in the attack, Reuters reports.
About another 100 Italians were in the area and had been taken to safety by Tunisian police, authorities added.
17.07 According to AP, Tunisian state television says the death toll in an attack on a prominent museum has risen to 22, including several foreign tourists and two gunmen.
Authorities say assailants opened fire on the National Bordo Museum on Wednesday, killing tourists and a cleaning woman and wounding several others. Security forces later stormed the museum, killing two gunmen and a security officer. At least two or three other accomplices may be at large.
Beji Caid Essebsi, Tunisian president, (R) meets Habib Essid, Tunisian prime minister during a security cabinet meeting after the attack
16.27 It is now being speculated in Tunisia that the attacks may have been carried out in revenge for the killing of Ahmed al-Rouissi, a Tunisian leader of a new Islamic State cell set up in neighbouring Libya last year, reports Colin Freeman, Telegraph's Chief Foreign Correspondent.
Mr Rouissi was killed during fighting at the weekend with militiamen loyal to Libya Dawn, a more moderate Islamist faction that currently has control of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
The 48-year-old was considered the mastermind of a string of attacks carried out in Tunisia by the radical Ansar al-Shariah movement, including the 2013 assassinations of Left-wing politicians Chokri Belaid and Mohammed Brahmi.
If he already had an existing terror network in place in Tunisia, that could explain why the attack on the museum could be carried within just days of his death.
16.09 A third gunman may have been captured by Tunisian police, according to NPR's Cairo bureau chief Leila Fadel:
15.45 A prominent Isil supporter has claimed on Twitter that today's attack is the start of a wave of terrorism in Tunisia, according to Quilliam's Charlie Winter.
It is not yet clear whether Islamic State jihadists were involved in the attack.
15.30 Although two gunmen have been killed, security forces are still hunting for two or three individuals believed to have been involved in the attack, said Habib Essid, Tunisia's prime minister.
However, state TV reported that the incident is over.
Members of the Tunisian security services take up positions after gunmen reportedly took hostages near the country's parliament (AFP/GETTY)
15.21 Polish, Italian, German and Spanish tourists are among those dead in the attack, said Habib Essid, Tunisia's prime minister.
He did not confirm or deny earlier local reports that two Britons were among the dead.
15.08 The tourists were killed when gunmen opened fire on them as they disembarked from buses outside Tunisia's national museum, witnesses and officials have said.
The gunmen then took others hostage inside the building.
Members of the Tunisian police force take up a position near the country's parliament after gunmen reportedly took hostages (EPA)
15.05 The death toll from the terror attack has gone up, although the precise number of fatalities remains unclear.
Nineteen people, including 17 foreign tourists, have been killed in the attack, according to Tunisia's prime minister.
However, the country's interior minister has said 15 tourists were killed.
In addition, "a policeman and two terrorists were killed," Wataniya 1 television reported.
A police source confirmed the death of the policeman to AFP.
15.00 According to Le Point, this is the first time that civilians have been directly targeted by an armed group in Tunisia. Until now, terrorists have targeted security forces or politicians.
Since 2011, 57 members of the Tunisian security forces have been killed in clashes with armed groups, and 171 wounded.
Manuel Valls, the French prime minister, said: "We are by the Tunisian government's side. He added: "This terrorist attack...cruelly illustrates the threats confronting us in Europe, in the Mediterranean and in the world."
Tunisian security forces secure the area after gunmen attacked Tunis' Bardo Museum (AFP/GETTY)
14.54 According to Tunisian state TV, some 150 Tunisian police took part in the operation to kill two assailants and free the hostages, reports Henry Samuel.
In a brief telephone conversation with his Tunisian counterpart, Béji Caïd Essebsi, François Hollande, the French president, expressed "France's solidarity with him and the Tunisian people at this very grave time."
14.51 Henry Samuel brings up this from French media. Géraldine, a French tourist holed up at the museum, told iTele: “We are at the Bardo museum and on a guided tour and heard shots outside, several volleys. We thought it was a party, but in fact it wasn’t – there were men on the floor. Then there was a movement of panic as there are lots of people in the building. There are around 40 of us holed up in a room. We are rather panic-stricken, there was lots of noise.
"Then there were no gunshots outside, then we heard of things outside. We were all inside sitting on the floor in the room. We could hear Allahu Akbar and lots of firing. There are around 40 French tourists with Costa Cruises. People are shooting outside. Earlier there were shots in the museum, now it’s outside.
"We can’t see outside. There is a group of attackers. There have been lots of volleys of gunire. I would say there are a lot of them or else I am mistaken because I don’t know about this kind of thing.”
14.33 Two gunmen who attacked a museum in the Tunisian capital have been killed as well as a policeman, state television said, without specifying if the incident was over.
"A policeman and two terrorists were killed," Wataniya 1 television reported. A police source confirmed the death of the policeman to AFP.
14.27 AFP say two gunmen and a policeman have been killed, according to reports
14.15 Reports are now emerging that the hostage seige is over, and that the gunmen have been killed.
Two Italian hostages are believed to be among those killed in the attack:
14.05 The fact that there are still tourists to attack in Tunisia tells its own story, writes Colin Freeman - who asks whether today's attacks will force the government to change its relatively passive stance on homegrown extremism:
Ever since it became the birth place of the Arab Spring in 2011, the tiny north African nation has been the only country in the region to enjoy anything approaching stability after the overthrow of its resident dictator.
However, the process of rebuilding the country after years of iron rule under Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has not been the straightforward process that it once looked like being.
Significantly, the nation of 11 million has also contributed more jihadist fighters per capita to the conflict in Syria than anywhere else.
Some have interpreted that as a sign that Tunisia has chosen to turn a blind eye against its extremists, as long as they only cause trouble abroad.
Today's carnage on the streets of Tunis may change that.
14.00 Manuel Valls, the French prime minister, confirmed that tourists have been killed and hostages taken in a "terrorist" attack on the museum in Tunis. He said:
I condemn this terrorist attack in the strongest terms. There has been a hostage-taking, without doubt tourists have been affected
13.56 Tunisian president Beji Caid Essebsi is due to make a public statement to the nation shortly, spokesman Moez Sinaoui told AFP.
13.50 Today's terror attack follows a string of attempted strikes Tunisian authorities claim to have foiled.
The government said on Monday that it had arrested four terror cells.
And just last month, it said it had arrested 32 militant Islamists planning 'spectacular' attacks .
Bardo Museum, where the hostage situation is ongoing (REX)
13.40 The motivation behind the attack is not yet known, but Tunisia has become a breeding ground for jihadists – it is now the largest source of foreign fighters joining Isil and other extremist groups in Syria and Iraq. Louisa Loveluck reports:
Nestled in Africa’s northern crest, Tunisia is often hailed as a lone Arab Spring success story. As much of the region was wracked by fighting, a week ago Tunisians went to the polls for the second free parliamentary vote since the fall of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.
But the country also stands out for another reason – it is now the largest source of foreign fighters joining the Islamic State (Isil) and other extremist groups in Syria and Iraq. By some estimates, the number could be as high as 3,000. US officials say the total number of foreign fighters is around 16,000.
In March 2014, an fighter from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant named as Abu Anas al Tunisi – Abu Anas the Tunisian – carried out a suicide attack on an Iraqi government complex, disguised in military uniform. Photos on Isil-linked social media accounts show groups of hoodie-clad Tunisians, smiling and clutching their guns.
Radicalised Tunisians have also been found with jihadist groups in Algeria, Iraq, Libya and Mali.
Read in full: How Tunisia became a breeding ground for jihadists
Tunisian security forces secure the area after gunmen attacked Tunis' Bardo Museum (AFP/GETTY)
13.23 Mohamed Ali Aroui, a government spokesman, has told reporters:
A terrorist attack targeting the Bardo Museum [was carried out by] two or more terrorists armed with Kalashnikovs
There are eight victims [including] seven foreigners.
The majority of tourists were evacuated.
Anti-terrorist units have entered the museum.
Tunisian security forces secure the area after gunmen attacked Tunis' Bardo Museum (AFP/GETTY)
13.19 The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice to avoid the area until further notice:
Latest update: Summary - there are reports of an incident at the Tunisian parliament building and Bardo Museum in Tunis; you should avoid the area until further notice and follow the instructions of the Tunisian security authorities
13.14 Two Britons are among those killed, according to reports, along with one French and one Spanish. The Telegraph has not been able to verify this information.
Radio Mosaique is reporting 10 hostages are still being held.
13.13 The hostage situation is taking place at the Bardo Museum, adjacent to Tunisia's parliament building, where gunfire was heard earlier.
13.08 A counter-terror operation is under way, according to local reports, with images emerging on social media:
13.03 It is also unclear who the attackers are. Tunisia has struggled with violence by Islamic extremists in recent years, including some linked to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
A disproportionately large number of Tunisia recruits have joined Isil fighters in Syria and Iraq.
According to ICSR , 1,500-3,000 Isil fighters are from Tunisia.
12.55 The nationalities of the seven foreign tourists killed, and those believed to be still held by gunmen, are not yet known.
More than 420,000 British nationals visited Tunisia last year, according to the Foreign Office.
12.46 Two explosions from grenades thrown by the terrorists have been heard at the scene, according to Tunis-based journalist Med Dhia Hammami:
12.39 Seven foreigners and one Tunisian have been killed in the shooting attack, says AP.
12.37 Eight tourists have been killed in the attack, Reuters reports, citing a government official.
12.04 Tunisian security forces have surrounded at least two militants believed to be holding hostages at a museum in the country's parliament grounds.
A spokesman for the country's interior ministry said tourists had been taken hostage at the museum, believed to be the Bardo museum in Tunis, and that one person was injured.
Private radio station Radio Mosaique said that three men dressed in military-style clothing had launched the attack.
Shortly before, exchanges of gunfire were heard at Tunisia's parliament building, the country's state news agency reported.
Parliamentary committees suspended their meetings as MPs were ordered to assemble in the main chamber, Islamist MP Monia Brahim told AFP.
A witness near the parliament told Reuters a large police presence was moving to evacuate the building.
The Bardo museum chronicles Tunisia's history and includes one of the world's largest collections of Roman mosaics.
Tunisia has struggled with violence by Islamic extremists since overthrowing a dictator in 2011.
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