Inquest told officers refused to step in

“COWARDLY” security forces refused to take action as a gunman slaughtered British tourists in the beach attack in Tunisia, an inquest heard.

It was said one guard even took off his uniform and hid among the crowd.

Seifeddine Rezgui’s 40-minute rampage could have been stopped very quickly, saving many lives, the court was told.

The inquest heard armed officers from the Tourist Security Division disobeyed an order to attend the scene to tackle Rezgui.

Meanwhile, two armed marine guards in a dinghy off the beach watched from the safety of the sea as the ISIS terrorist shot sunbathers, it was heard yesterday.

When the pair eventually plucked up the courage to go after him after he walked away from the beach to kill more people, one guard fainted and the other “started to get rid of his uniform and mingled with the crowd of onlookers”.

The director of the region’s police force, referred to as BH, added: “When the shooting began on the beach, a coast guard patrol was present and didn’t intervene...

“One of the guards had the ability to fire at the perpetrator [and] kill him... It is unjustifiable that this didn’t happen.”

BH, whose evidence was in a report compiled by a Tunisian judge, added: “The guards were armed with Steyr assault rifles and would have been in a position to stop the attack at the very beginning.”

It was claimed in the report that the other officers – the tourist police – could have intervened within three minutes but froze and took over half an hour to arrive. When the emergency call came into the national security police in northern Sousse in June 2015, the chief – referred to at the inquest as CA – ordered officers to act immediately.

The report by judge Bechir Akremi said: “CA stated from the outset he asked the Tourist Security team leader to go to the scene with his men but there was no response...

“He stated the refusal to intervene to stop the terrorist attack was due to ‘simple cowardice’, when they could have prevented loss of life.”

Units that were further away arrived sooner and shot Rezgui dead in a nearby street. He murdered 38 civilians in Sousse in the north east, some on the beach and others at the nearby Imperial Marhaba Hotel. Thirty victims were British including former Birmingham City footballer Denis Thwaites, 70, and his wife Elaine, 69.

The hearing was also told Rezgui, 23, was being directed by a terror cell in Sousse. The inquests at the Royal Courts of Justice in Central London continue.

A patrol was present and didn’t intervene... It can’t be justified

POLICE CHIEF IN JUDGE’S REPORT HEARD IN COURT