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| Tunisian opposition figures killed with same gun | Tunisian opposition figures killed with same gun |
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| Mohammed Brahmi, the leftwing Tunisian opposition figure gunned down in front of his house on Thursday, was killed with the same weapon used to assassinate another secular politician in Tunis in February. | Mohammed Brahmi, the leftwing Tunisian opposition figure gunned down in front of his house on Thursday, was killed with the same weapon used to assassinate another secular politician in Tunis in February. |
| The disclosure was made by Tunisia's interior minister, Lotfi Ben Jeddou, who said that Brahmi was shot with the gun used to kill Chokri Belaid six months ago, a killing that triggered a similar political crisis. | The disclosure was made by Tunisia's interior minister, Lotfi Ben Jeddou, who said that Brahmi was shot with the gun used to kill Chokri Belaid six months ago, a killing that triggered a similar political crisis. |
| "The same 9mm automatic weapon that killed Belaid also killed Brahmi," Jeddou said. | "The same 9mm automatic weapon that killed Belaid also killed Brahmi," Jeddou said. |
| He said he believed the same Salafist extremist cell that was behind Belaid's killing was also behind Brahmi's assassination, naming the chief suspect in the killings as French-born Aboubaker al-Hakim, who was already being sought on suspicion of smuggling weapons from Libya. | He said he believed the same Salafist extremist cell that was behind Belaid's killing was also behind Brahmi's assassination, naming the chief suspect in the killings as French-born Aboubaker al-Hakim, who was already being sought on suspicion of smuggling weapons from Libya. |
| Reports in Tunis on Friday said that police raided Hakim's aunt's house, where he lives, and found weapons and ammunition. | Reports in Tunis on Friday said that police raided Hakim's aunt's house, where he lives, and found weapons and ammunition. |
| The killing of Brahmi saw thousands of protesters gather again in the capital on Friday, while shops and banks closed their doors and all flights in and out of the country were cancelled. | The killing of Brahmi saw thousands of protesters gather again in the capital on Friday, while shops and banks closed their doors and all flights in and out of the country were cancelled. |
| One man was reported killed and several injured in the early hours of Saturday after violent protests in the southern city of Gafsa. There were conflicting eyewitness accounts of how the protester died. | One man was reported killed and several injured in the early hours of Saturday after violent protests in the southern city of Gafsa. There were conflicting eyewitness accounts of how the protester died. |
| Amid growing international concern over the situation in Tunisia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned what she called the "cowardly assassination" of Brahmi and demanded that his and Belaid's killers be swiftly brought to justice. | Amid growing international concern over the situation in Tunisia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned what she called the "cowardly assassination" of Brahmi and demanded that his and Belaid's killers be swiftly brought to justice. |
| According to the interior minister some of the suspects in the killings are alleged to be associated with the conservative Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia (AST), which was formed a few months after the fall of Tunisia's former dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. | According to the interior minister some of the suspects in the killings are alleged to be associated with the conservative Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia (AST), which was formed a few months after the fall of Tunisia's former dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. |
| That group has called for the release of Tunisians who went to fight with al-Qaida in Iraq. | That group has called for the release of Tunisians who went to fight with al-Qaida in Iraq. |
| Brahmi's killing, hit by 11 bullets in front of his wife and daughter, triggered protests across the country with many holding the Islamist Ennahda party, which leads the ruling coalition, responsible for his death for not cracking down hard enough on Salafist extremists and for some party members inciting violence against secular figures. | Brahmi's killing, hit by 11 bullets in front of his wife and daughter, triggered protests across the country with many holding the Islamist Ennahda party, which leads the ruling coalition, responsible for his death for not cracking down hard enough on Salafist extremists and for some party members inciting violence against secular figures. |
| Brahmi represented Sidi Bouzid in Tunisia's constituent assembly, the impoverished town that sparked the Tunisian revolution and Arab Spring, when Mohamed Bouazizi, a young vegetable seller, set himself on fire. | Brahmi represented Sidi Bouzid in Tunisia's constituent assembly, the impoverished town that sparked the Tunisian revolution and Arab Spring, when Mohamed Bouazizi, a young vegetable seller, set himself on fire. |
| It triggered calls too for the government to resign in protest at the latest killing, which took place on Thursday morning as the 58-year-old MP, a member of the opposition People's Movement party, was sitting in his car outside his home in the Tunis suburb of Cite el-Ghazala. | It triggered calls too for the government to resign in protest at the latest killing, which took place on Thursday morning as the 58-year-old MP, a member of the opposition People's Movement party, was sitting in his car outside his home in the Tunis suburb of Cite el-Ghazala. |
| The main trade union called for a general strike, closing down the airport, public transportation and most government offices, while a new coalition of civil society and opposition parties called for the dissolution of the government and the national assembly. | The main trade union called for a general strike, closing down the airport, public transportation and most government offices, while a new coalition of civil society and opposition parties called for the dissolution of the government and the national assembly. |
| The news that ballistic reports had confirmed the same weapon was used in both killings is another striking similarities between the two assassinations, which were both carried out by men on motorbikes outside the victim's home. | The news that ballistic reports had confirmed the same weapon was used in both killings is another striking similarities between the two assassinations, which were both carried out by men on motorbikes outside the victim's home. |
| Brahmi's party told the Associated Press it was postponing his funeral, initially planned for Friday, fearing it could inflame supporters on an already tense day. He will be buried on Saturday in the same Tunis cemetery as Belaid. | Brahmi's party told the Associated Press it was postponing his funeral, initially planned for Friday, fearing it could inflame supporters on an already tense day. He will be buried on Saturday in the same Tunis cemetery as Belaid. |
| In a statement published by Mosaique FM, several leftwing and liberal parties announced the formation of a National Salvation Front, calling for civil disobedience and a sit-in outside the national assembly until it and the government are dissolved. | In a statement published by Mosaique FM, several leftwing and liberal parties announced the formation of a National Salvation Front, calling for civil disobedience and a sit-in outside the national assembly until it and the government are dissolved. |
| Late on Friday, 42 opposition members announced their resignation from the 217-seat assembly. Tunisia's political transition since the revolution that toppled Ben Ali – the first uprising of the Arab Spring – has been the relative success so far of the Arab Spring, with the moderate Islamist Ennahda party sharing power in government with smaller secular parties. | Late on Friday, 42 opposition members announced their resignation from the 217-seat assembly. Tunisia's political transition since the revolution that toppled Ben Ali – the first uprising of the Arab Spring – has been the relative success so far of the Arab Spring, with the moderate Islamist Ennahda party sharing power in government with smaller secular parties. |
| But the government has struggled to revive the economy and has come under fire from secularists who accuse it of failing to curb the activities of Salafists. | But the government has struggled to revive the economy and has come under fire from secularists who accuse it of failing to curb the activities of Salafists. |
| The assassination occurred as the country prepares to vote in the next few weeks on the new constitution before a presidential election later in the year. | The assassination occurred as the country prepares to vote in the next few weeks on the new constitution before a presidential election later in the year. |
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