British tourists who survived Friday’s attack on beach in Sousse have said they saw a second man carrying a gun amid confusion over version of events

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

More than one gunman was involved in the terrorist massacre in Tunisia, witnesses have claimed, as four Britons seriously injured in the shooting were flown home.

The accounts cast doubt on the sketchy version of Friday’s killings in Sousse given by the Tunisian authorities. They have so far said the attack at Imperial Marhaba beach hotel was carried out by a single terrorist, Seiffeddine Rezgui, who killed 38 people in a gun and grenade assault before being shot dead.

British tourists who survived Friday’s attack on a beach in Sousse said they saw a second man carrying a gun.

Tunisia beach attack: the victims Read more

Richard Slater, who survived the attack after sheltering in a cupboard in a beach shop, said he was told that one of the attackers came in from the sea on a jet ski.



Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said he couldn’t be certain about the number of gunmen but was told by local shopkeepers and staff in his hotel that two attackers were shot, one was arrested and another was still at large.

Steve Johnson, a retired police officer, told the Daily Mirror he saw “a man in red shorts machine-gunning someone on a sun lounger. He was 20 yards away from us.”

Other witnesses have described a man in red shorts, possibly a member of the coastguard, firing a handgun at Rezgui: “He was trying to fire it at the guy, but it was like he didn’t know how to get the safety catch off or something,” said Aymen Khalifa Belhaj.



Witnesses have also described a gunman with long black hair and a beard shooting at them.

The Tunisian authorities have given little information about the attack but have so far insisted that Rezgui acted alone after being helped by accomplices who were not at the scene. Seven men allegedly linked to Rezgui have been arrested.



Overnight an RAF transport plane carrying four Britons seriously injured in the shooting landed at Brize Norton, after a brief stop at Birmingham airport.

Tunisian hotel workers recall terror: 'We opened our breasts against the bullets' Read more

The Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham said it was treating one of the patients injured in the attack.

A spokesman said: “The patient arrived at 12.45am today following transfer from Birmingham International airport and is being assessed by the hospital’s multi-disciplinary team to determine their ongoing care pathway.”

“The team is being coordinated by Prof Sir Keith Porter, the trust’s clinical lead for trauma.”

On Monday new video emerged showing the gunman rampaging through the hotel for at least 20 minutes without any response from Tunisian security forces.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Footage of the moment Seifeddine Rezgui begins his attack inside the grounds of a hotel in Tunisia. The sounds of gunfire and an explosion can be heard as hotel staff move forward to try and find the gunman.

Fifty UK officials have been despatched to Tunisia to help victims and their families. David Cameron told the House of Commons they were engaged in “quite detailed work to make sure hotels are safe” and improving Tunisia’s intelligence-led response to future threats.

Tunisia’s government has failed to provide a detailed account or timeline of what happened in the attack. But its tourism minister, Salma Loumi, has claimed the incident will cost $515m (£328m) in lost revenue from tourists.

“The attack had a great impact on the economy; the losses will be large,” Loumi told reporters.

Tunisia earned $1.95bn (£1.24bn) in revenues from tourism last year, which represents 7% of its GDP.

About half of the 20,000 British tourists in Tunisia have returned home since the attacks, the Association of British Travel Agents said.