An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 21 This popular holiday resort has miles of golden beaches and is bordered by two hotels, the Imperial and the Belview, with large swimming pools and ornate gardens. Cheap flights and afford- able accommodation in luxurious, five-star surroundings, as well as excellent weather and friendly locals, enticed many to take up holiday offers in the resort. On the morning of 26th June 2015 many holiday makers were relaxing, sunbathing or taking a swim, while others enjoyed the gardens, some awaiting their transport to the airport as their break had come to an end. Yacoubi, dressed in black and carrying a parasol, appeared on the beach. Dropping the parasol he produced a Kalashnikov assault rifle and opened fire. A woman slumped over, shot dead. Others, realising that an attack was taking place, ran for their lives towards the main hotel buildings. There were two minutes of continuous automatic fire and then silence. Survivors who hadn't run lay still and feigned death in the hope the gunman would walk by. However, clicking a fresh magazine into place, he reloaded and began moving forward again, opening fire. Eighteen people were shot dead on the beach before the gunman began moving towards the hotels. Local beach workers, realising the gunman was only targeting foreigners, pleaded with him to stop shooting. They followed him along the beach but their pleas were ignored as he made his way off the shoreline and towards the hotels. Twelve minutes after the first shots had been fired a police officer and coastguard official arrived on the scene. They were reluctant to engage the assailant, so a local beach boy took the officer's handgun and fired on the suspect. After two shots the weapon jammed, rendering it useless. Inside the first hotel, Yacoubi once again started firing before throwing a hand grenade into the lobby, where it exploded, sending shards of shrapnel through the air and cutting down many more holidaymakers. People ran and barricaded themselves in their rooms while others attempted to flee the gunman by running out into the streets, where local shop- keepers brought them inside, closed their shops and called the security services for assistance. At 1206hrs, the assailant headed out of the hotel and back towards the beach. Realising that the gunman was about to target the next hotel, and with no regard for their own safety, young local men formed a human chain to prevent him progressing any further, forcing him into the street and away from the tourist areas. At 1216hrs security forces arrived at the scene and engaged the gunman, shooting him dead 38 minutes after the attacks commenced. Within that short period of time, 38 holidaymakers had been killed and 39 injured, many of them seriously. Among the dead were Lorna Carty from Robinstown, Co Meath, and Martina and Laurence Hayes from Westlodge, Atlone. Others killed came from the UK, Germany, Belgium, Russia and Portugal. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack but the initial investigation revealed that Yacoubi was not your typical terrorist. The 23-year-old electrical engineering student was popular, enjoyed music and dancing, and socialised with friends regularly. However, the young man had become radicalised over issues such as the Libyan Civil War and the failure of many Western countries to condemn Assad's brutal, repressive regime in the Syrian Civil War. With the possibility of more attacks in the region, many tour operators cancelled flights to Tunisia and offered holiday makers alternative destinations. With tourism the main source of income for many Tunisians, the local economy suffered greatly. The Tunisian government was condemned as its intelligence services had not identified the threat. Also, there was a serious lack of armed security personnel on duty in or around the hotels, rendering them as soft targets. Tour operators and the local authorities were questioned as to why tourists were not warned that a threat of a terrorist attack existed. (Many holiday makers were not aware that only two months before, on 18th March 2015, three insurgents attacked tourists at the Bardo Museum in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, with the loss of 22 lives. Tunisian authorities acknowledged that there were security lapses and began stepping up security, with armed guards at hotels, regular patrols and a heightened presence on the streets. As these attacks were taking place, other terrorist incidents were taking place throughout the world, resulting in the deaths of innocent people. Governments condemned these attacks and in the months that followed, there was increase in bombing raids against ISIS positions in Syria. In Ireland there was a minute's silence in the Dáil as the government stopped proceedings to remember those that had lost their lives in the attack in Tunisia and the national flag flew at half mast on public buildings as a sign of respect. These types of 'lone-wolf' attacks are set to continue even with increased security measures, prompting many to ask how such terrorist organisations can be stopped. Intelligence agencies throughout the world are thwarting many attacks but there are still enough getting through to cause chaos, carnage and the massacre of innocents. The body of a tourist shot dead by a gunman lies near a beachside hotel. Photo: © Reuters Police officers control the crowd (rear) while surrounding a man ( front C) suspected to be involved in opening fire on a beachside hotel in Sousse, Tunisia. Photo: © Reuters

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