Tunisia issues arrest warrant for Salafist leader

The Tunisian Court of First Instance issued an international arrest warrant on Friday for a Salafist leader wanted in connection to the assassination of left-wing opposition activist Chokri Belaid in February, and the terrorist attack that killed eight soldiers in Mount Chaambi near the Algerian border at the end of July. Saif Allah Bin Hussein, also known as Abu Iyad, is the leader of the Salafist movement Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia. The court also issued an international arrest warrant for Mohammed al-Awadi on suspicion of leading the military wing of the radical group. Meanwhile, Tunisian Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou announced that Bin Hussein had threatened to kill him, adding that the ministry did not have the capacity to protect figures threatened with assassination, as guarding one person required at least nine security personnel. The Minister of the Interior also said it has obtained information that government officials were under threat of a suicide bomb attack. Last year, Bin Hussein was accused of inciting the attack of the US Embassy in Tunis by Salafists on September 14 2012, following scandal over a Youtube film which insulted Islam.