Tunisia Sousse: 'new plot to attack resort' foiled Published duration 17 November 2015

image copyright AFP image caption Officials say militants had planned to target beaches and security sites in Sousse

Police in Tunisia have foiled a new plot to attack the beach resort of Sousse, where 38 people were killed in June, the interior ministry says.

More than a dozen suspected Islamists, believed to have trained in Syria and Libya, were arrested, it adds.

Most of those killed by an Islamic State (IS) militant in the earlier attack were British tourists.

Tunisia is the biggest exporter of jihadis, with at least 3,000 of its nationals fighting in Iraq and Syria.

The arrests are part of one of the country's most significant counter-terrorism operations, says the BBC's Rana Jawad in Tunis.

Officials said the militants had planned to target politicians, beaches and security centres in Sousse, which has seen tourism plummet since the June attack.

image copyright AFP image caption Security was stepped up at the Bardo museum after an attack in March

On Monday, the interior ministry said security forces had arrested seven women suspected to be part of the media wing of the Islamic State group's Tunisia affiliate, Jund al-Khilafa.

Tunisia is the birthplace of the 2011 Arab Spring, and has been the most successful among the Arab states involved, in efforts to establish multi-party democracy.

However, it has seen an increase in jihadi activity, including the killing of more than 20 people at the Bardo museum in Tunis in March.