Two attackers, one police officer killed in attempted suicide attack on US embassy in Tunis

Two attackers have targeted the US embassy in the Tunisian capital on Friday, causing an explosion and killing one police officer before being killed themselves.

One attacker tried to enter the embassy but was prevented by police guarding the diplomatic mission in the Berges du Lac district, a police official said.

One police officer was killed in the attack and at least five others injured. Local media also reported that a female passerby was injured.

"The operation was doomed to fail," a police official said.

Security sources told The New Arab’s Arabic-language service that two suicide bombers, who rode a motorcycle, were killed.

Body parts were seen strewn on the ground at the scene.

The explosion caused panic among pedestrians near the embassy, images shared online showed.

The US Embassy in Tunis released a statement following the attack which said: “Emergency personnel are responding to an explosion that occurred near the US Embassy in Tunis.  Please avoid the area and monitor local media for updates.”

Observers on Twitter pointed out that the attackers seemed to be inexperienced due to the limited damage and casualties caused.

Tunisia faced a rise in extremist violence after its 2011 revolution, with attacks killing dozens of security personnel, civilians and foreign tourists. 

Friday’s attack was the fourth suicide bombing in the capital in the past two and a half years.

While the security situation has significantly improved since a series of deadly attacks in 2015, Tunisia has maintained a state of emergency for four years and assaults against security forces have persisted.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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