The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Inquest hears of Tunisian terror attack police delays
Hearing into the deaths of 30 Britons is told investigation criticised officers for stalling their arrival at hotel
Tunisian law enforcement units deliberately delayed their arrival on the scene of the terrorist attack in Sousse in which 38 tourists were killed, an inquest has heard.
The hearing into the deaths of 30 Britons in the June 2015 assault by extremist Seifeddine Rezgui Yacoubi heard that a local investigation into the slaughter criticised some police for stalling as they made their way to the five-star Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel.
Rezgui “systematically” gunned down tourists on the hotel’s beach before going into the grounds and the building and killing more, the inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice in London was told.
CCTV footage played to the packed courtroom, full of relatives of those who died, showed the killer as he approached the hotel with his gun hidden under a parasol. More graphic scenes showed him enter the building and shoot at least one tourist.
Samantha Leek QC, counsel to the inquest, said a report by Tunisian Judge Akremi had identified failings by local units which could have ended the slaughter before more police arrived and shot Rezgui dead.
She said the inquest would hear evidence from that report citing an unnamed interior minister as saying some Tunisian security officers nearby had consciously slowed down their arrival.
Ms Leek said: “He said the units that should have intervened in the events deliberately and unjustifiably slowed down to delay their arrival at the hotel.
“They had the ability to put an end to the attack before the police arrived but wasted a considerable amount of time in getting to the hotel.”
An armed guard on the beach opened fire on Rezgui, but fell to the ground “seemingly unconscious” after the gunman threw a grenade at him, she added.
This led to a local speedboat driver, named as AI, picking his gun up and attempting to confront Rezgui. However he was unable to work the weapon.
Footage shown to the inquest included the shooting of 72-year-old grandfather Bruce Wilkinson, from Goole, East Yorkshire. A woman, believed to be a family member, left the room before it was shown.
The hearing, scheduled to last for seven weeks, will also examine security in place at the hotel by tour firm TUI and the travel advice issued for Tunisia by the UK Government.
An earlier hearing was told that many families feared the Foreign and Commonwealth Office may have failed in its responsibilities to thousands of British tourists.