The woman who sparked a Tunisian riot that led to the world changing 'Arab Spring' wishes she had never made the arrest that led to the death, destruction and terror that followed.

Five years ago, a Tunisian man set himself on fire after council inspector Faida Hamdy confiscated his vegetable cart.

When he died weeks later, dozens of Arab men began self immolating also. Their actions snowballed into country wide protests which toppled the regime and eventually spilled over to other Arab nations.

Speaking of the death and destruction caused by civil wars, the migrant crisis and the rise of terror groups like the barbaric ISIS, Faida said: 'I blame myself.'

The rise of terror groups like ISIS (file photo), civil wars and toppled governments followed the Arab Spring which Faida blames herself for starting

A vegetable stall worker set himself on fire after Faida confiscated his cart and his eventual death snowballed into Middle East wide protests

As a direct result of the Arab Spring, which Faida charges herself as starting, Iraq and Syria have been laid to waste, large parts of Libya are lawless and terror groups are expanding in the Middle East.

'Sometimes I wish I'd never done it... I feel responsible for everything,' Faida told The Telegraph.

She added: 'When I look at the region and my country, I regret it all. Death everywhere and extremism blooming and killing beautiful souls.'

'I made history since I was the one who was there and my action contributed to it but look at us now. Meanwhile, Tunisians are suffering as always.'

Mohammed Bouazizi, the man whose stall she confiscated, became the face of the Tunisian uprising. Faida meanwhile was arrested when the protests began.

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak was the next to go, in February 2011, after more than two weeks of protests in Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square (pictured in 2011)

The Arab Spring, which started in Tunisia, spread to other Arab nations including Egypt (pictured) and Libya

The Arab Spring protests in Libya (pictured) descended into a brutal civil war and international intervention

When she was eventually released and acquitted of all charges but by then, Tunisia's President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali has been deposed and the Arab Spring had moved on to Egypt, Libya and Syria.

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak was the next to go, in February 2011, after more than two weeks of protests in Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square.

Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi went the same year, after the protests in his country descended into a brutal civil war. He was shot dead in October.

In comparison, Tunisia, which has held two general elections since the uprisings, has been a relative success.

The sister of Bouazizi, whose death may have sparked the seismic events that have reshaped the Middle East, believes his death was hijacked for political gain.

She told the Telegraph: 'His death is destiny and I accept it.

The migrant crisis (pictured, refugees on the Croatia-Slovenia border), sparked by civil war and unrest in the Middle East and Arab world, was also indirectly sparked by the Arab Spring

Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi (pictured) was deposed and killed in 2011 after his countrymen revolted against him

'But if he were here he would be the first in the street to ask for more dignity.

'My brother created something that greedy people are trying to destroy in the region.