Personally, I'm not convinced these events were just towards tourists....

Okay, one was in Sousse and apparently by a hotel but there was another too which which failed: "a separate plot to attack ex-President Habib Bourguiba's tomb". I'm wondering if perhaps there's something else in the vicinity of the hotel (the Riadh Palms) or if maybe there was someone inside the hotel who they were aiming for.

I suppose a little more time will reveal all, particularly as the other one was caught.

From what I have seen by living in Tunisia for half of every year, the country has never been really settled after the honeymoon period following Ben Ali's departure. The expected 'utopia' that the younger generation anticipated never arrived and the total resentment seemed to emerged over night. I found the change in the younger people's attitude so sudden and so alarming. The fact that many more people left on the illegal boats to try to get to Italy after the revolution speaks for itself. The youngsters are desperate to get out of Tunisia as many see it as a country with no prospect of a decent future.I have many friends in the local community and in their homes, the conversation is always about the desire to leave for a better life.
It has been sad to see the change in the attitude of the staff in the tourist shops. They are less polite and aggressive if thwarted. When I objected to the way some elderly German tourists were being treated, I was told that it wasn't important as the hotels were full of visitors from Russia, Poland etc ''and they didn't bother about such things like you lot''
Frankly, I have been waiting for the balloon to go up - have always thought it inevitable and can see the situation getting worse rather than better in the immediate future. We are just preparing to return in 4 days and received this from a friend a week ago;-
'' What date are you arriving? It's in a bit of a mess today! Ennahdha was meant to resign, and as if by magic all the terrorists have started to appear yet again! Someone with bombs round his waist got caught trying to board a train. A couple of kids from a school were used as human shields, loads of arrests and so on.....ie. the game is, "we didn't resign because the country is in a chaos again and we don't want to leave a void!!!" They are clinging onto power and do not want to leave....never did! ''
Let is hope that I am wrong and that these incidents were isolated ones.

Is the palm beach near to the Lti Thalassa Sousse?

I do so agree with Jenny regarding Ennahada trying to cling on to power for as long as possible but despite rumours and counter-rumours in the country I doubt this played any part in the recent atrocities. Until we know more it is impossible to say who was behind it. The finger is being pointed at Al Quaida, the Islamists, old supporters of Ben Ali and even the government itself. The general feeling is that these youths have been radicalized by the Islamists who are unhappy that the government is not acceeding to its demands. I don't think anyone believes that tourists were specifically targeted except as a means of destabilising the country.

We should take comfort in the fact that due to quick action they did not succeed and apart from the would-be bomber at the Riadh Palms no-one has been killed or injured. What is clear is that the authorities are taking all possible steps to avoid any more such events and police checks are taking place everywhere.

From what I've heard direct from Sousse today, four tourists have been returned home, another dozen have moved from the Riadh Palms to another hotel and apart from an increased police presence everything else is back to normal, with all shops open and tourists on the streets.

Unlike Jenny, when I was there last in April I found the shopkeepers etc. as friendly as usual, and perhaps even more glad to welcome tourists. I did, however, notice an increased air of depression replacing the euphoria which was so evident immediately after the revolution.

I do believe that anyone already booked to go to Tunisia in the next couple of months shouldn't be too concerned, but should keep themselves aware of the situation and not take unnecessary risks. Regular visitors will have their own opinions though I doubt many of them will be deterred, but those considering visiting for the first time might perhaps decide to rule it out at present. It saddens me to say this as the country needs the income from tourism, and if the purpose of the latest events was to destabliize the country this will certainly be a big factor. However, people work hard for their holidays and although very few countries can be considered entirely safe, there are undoubtedly plenty of other places where the risk is a bit less.

Sunshinehereicome wrote:

Is the palm beach near to the Lti Thalassa Sousse?

I looked at these on Google Maps
A is Riadh Palms Hotel and B is the LTI Thalassa. They're a little under 3km distance from each other.
This link will take you to the satellite view on the map: http://goo.gl/maps/FsF13

We Just came back in the early hours of Thursday morning and apart from extra security at the airport, you couldn't get into the airport unless every bag was x-rayed. Very little else was different yes we saw more police on the road, we were staying at The Tour Khalef so not too far away and we were out at 2pm eating at San Remo with some Locals who seemed to be going about business as usual.

Thanks for that Jules. i hope you had a good holiday.

I was in Skanes when these attacks occurred. My local contacts tell me the suicide bomber was mahboul - crazy. In Monastir they tell me the attack on Bourghiba's Mausoleum by two Salafists was foiled by the intervention of locals who became suspicious of them and raised the alarm.

Also worrying were instances of two pickpocket attacks in Sousse. 2 individuals from my hotel were targeted; one of whom lost 230TD. Ouch!

I think pickpockets have always been around in Tunisia but not more so than in other countries.