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A Tunisian soldier has opened fire on colleagues at a military base in the capital Tunis, killing seven and wounding 10 more before being shot dead, according to Tunisian authorities.
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The shooting on Monday at the Bouchoucha base in Tunis alarmed a city still on edge after an attack in March by Islamist gunmen on the Bardo national museum.
Two military helicopters hovered overhead as police searched a nearby mosque and cars travelling on the main road between the museum and the base. A local school was evacuated.
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The incident “caused the deaths of seven soldiers and also of the shooter. Ten soldiers were wounded, and one is in a serious condition,” defence ministry spokesman Belhassen Oueslati said at a news conference.
“He attacked one man with a knife and took his gun before shooting at his comrades who were saluting the flag.
“He had family and psychological problems” and because of this had been “forbidden from carrying arms” and given “non-sensitive duties”, Oueslati said. He called the shooting an isolated incident.
Tunisian forces have been carrying out operations against Islamist fighters since March when two gunmen opened fire on tourists at the Bardo museum, killing 21 foreigners in the worst attack in Tunisia in more than a decade.
Since its 2011 uprising against autocrat Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has been spared the worst chaos that neighbouring countries experienced after the Arab spring. But some Islamist hardliners have turned to violence.
