Locals formed human shield to protect tourists from gunman
Brave hotel staff risked their lives to form a human shield to protect tourists on the Tunisian beach that was targeted in a terrorist attack on Friday.
Resort staff lined up along the beach in Sousse to block the path of Islamic State recruit Seifeddine Rezgu, who killed 39 people when he went on a rampage with a machine gun.
Englishman John Yeomen was staying in a neighbouring hotel with his wife, when the shooting started outside the Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel.
The 46-year-old told MirrorOnline that staff from the Bellevue hotel lined up to prevent Rezgu from entering the hotel after he had opened fire on the beach.
"It's amazing what they did. The staff were in a line and they were shouting at him, saying 'we won't let you through'.
"They shouted: 'You'll have to go through us'. That's why he's got his back turned to them.
"He tried to get to my hotel and they stood in a line."
Those in the background formed a human shield to protect another hotel they are not watching they saved many lives. pic.twitter.com/kQm8GuBZOe
— John Yeoman (@johnyeo68) June 28, 2015
The 23-year-old who was targeting Western tourists then turned around and walked away from the group.
Mr Yeoman noted that the staff has looked absolutely horrified as they stood in front of the gunman.
Mr Yeoman himself was forced to hide in his hotel room during the massacre and has said he is incredibly relieved to be back home in the UK.
Thousands of tourists have left Tunisia since Friday's attack, which has shocked the North African country that relies heavily on tourism for jobs and foreign currency revenues.
At least 15 Britons were among the dead and wounded along with German, Irish and Belgian nationals in Sousse. The health ministry says at least 40 people were wounded without giving any details of their nationalities.
"We are going to deploy 1000 armed police to protect hotels and tourists," Tunisian Interior Minister Najem Gharsalli told reporters late on Saturday night.
Islamic State has claimed the Sousse attack. But officials say the gunman, was not on any watchlist of known potential militants. One source said he appeared to have been radicalised over the last six months by recruiters.
Since its 2011 uprising to oust Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has made a peaceful transition to democracy with a new constitution and free elections. It is seen as a model for the region.
But its young democracy has also been tested by the rise of hardline Islamist movements, some of which have turned to violence. The army has been fighting a campaign against pockets of Islamist militants near the Algerian border.
The killing spree of Friday was the second major attack in Tunisia this year. In Mach, there was an Islamist militant assault on the Bardo Museum in Tunis, in which gunmen killed a group of foreign visitors as they arrived by bus.
Morning news break – June 29
