Middle East/North Africa

Explosion near US Embassy in Tunisia wounds at least 5 police officers

Tunisia’s interior ministry on Friday reported that two suicide bombers blew themselves up in an explosion near the U.S. Embassy in the country’s capital city of Tunis, wounding at least five police officers.

The interior ministry’s statement confirmed that the two bombers were killed and that a civilian was also injured.

Initially, Radio Mosaique reported that the explosion was a suicide attack and that the two people were on a motorcycle, though the radio station’s claims couldn’t be confirmed, The Associated Press reports.

According to the news wire, local authorities have yet to comment on the blast and attempts to call the embassy were unsuccessful.

Tunisia has a track record of attacks by Islamic extremists; the famous Bardo Museum outside of Tunis and a luxury beach hotel were both attacked in 2015.

In 2012, the U.S. Embassy was attacked by angry crowds who were protesting an anti-Muslim film that was being produced in America.

Updated at 8:10 a.m.