Two Britons feared dead as eight killed in Tunisian museum attack:

Two Britons are feared dead after gunmen stormed a museum in Tunisia today, killing eight people and taking another 30 hostage.Seven of those killed were foreigners, with unconfirmed reports suggesting two were Britons as well as French, Spanish and Italian among the casualties.

The country's parliament, which sits adjacent to the country's Bardo Museum, was today filled with leading politicians and swiftly evacuated after the shooting broke out.

Witnesses described seeing the gunmen ramming their car into the building and opening fire indiscriminately.

It is believed several hundred people may have fled the museum, while another 20 - 30 remained as hostages as anti-terrorist security team members this afternoon entered the museum.

While it has not yet been confirmed, various social media accounts linked to ISIS sympathizers this afternoon claimed responsibility for the attack.

 

This picture surfaced on social media which purported to show children were among those being held hostage

 

Anti-terrorist squad members surround the area with temporary barbed wire fencing

National guardsmen and anti-terrorist police are currently surrounding the hugely popular tourist site, which is visited by thousands of foreigners every year, including many Britons.

Fleets of ambulances could also be seen driving in and out of the museum grounds, as helicopters flew overhead.

Three heavily armed terrorists were believed to be holed-up inside with Kalashnikovs, and they are thought to have hostages with them.

'They entered the museum disguised at soldiers,' said an Interior Ministry spokesman in Tunis. 'Forces are now deployed in the museum, the terrorists are being besieged. There are people being held captive.' 

Interior Ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui said on Radio Mosaique that one of the dead was a Tunisian. He didn't provide nationalities for the other victims.Farouk Afi, a blogger in Tunisia, was about to meet his friend in the museum when he heard the shots go off, according to the BBC.

He said: 'I was near, next door in the café, and I was going to meet with my friends. I heard it and I didn’t know at that moment what it was, but the police told me go far from this place.

'[My friend] is now with many people [inside the museum] and not sure how many people have fled and injuries and deaths.'

The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for the country: 'There are reports of an incident at the Tunisian parliament building and Bardo Museum in Tunis.

'You should avoid the area until further notice and follow the instructions of the Tunisian security authorities.'

Police swarmed on the area after eight people were shot dead, with fears two were Britons

The museum chronicles Tunisia's history and includes one of the world's largest collections of Roman mosaics.It is unclear who the attackers are, but a video posted in December that was attributed to Islamic State, warned it would target the country.

Tunisia recently completed a rocky road to democracy after overthrowing its authoritarian president in 2011.

It has been more stable than other countries in the region, but it has struggled with violence by Islamic extremists in recent years, including some linked to ISIS. It also has extremists linked to al-Qaeda's North Africa arm who occasionally target Tunisian security forces.A disproportionately large number of Tunisia recruits have joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

The museum, built within a 15th-century palace, is the largest museum in Tunisia with collections covering two floors.

The museum is near the North African country's parliament, some four kilometres (two-and-a-half miles) from the city centre. A new wing with contemporary architecture was built as part of a 2009 renovation, doubling the surface area. Some 8,000 works are displayed in the museum, according to the website.

The attack comes the day after Tunisian security officials confirmed the death in neighbouring Libya of a leading suspect in Tunisian terror attacks and the killings of two opposition figures in Tunisia.

Ahmed Rouissi gained the nickname of the 'black box of terrorism'. The information on his death was made public by security officials giving evidence in parliament and cited by the official TAP news agency.

Libya, which has devolved into chaos, is a source of major concern for Tunisia.

Also a major worry is the Mount Chaambi area on the border with Algeria where al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has reportedly been helping a Tunisian group which has killed numerous soldiers

 

Tunisia's parliament (pictured from the adjacent museum) was evacuated, with a number of prominent politicians rushed from the area