The Islamic State claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks at a museum in Tunisia that left at least 23 people dead, including two suspected gunmen, according to the SITE intelligence group. Thursday’s statement attributed to the Islamic State could not immediately be verified independently.
The claim was delivered through an audio recording in Arabic that was distributed on Twitter. It said the attacks were aimed at a ““malicious group from the citizens of the Crusader countries.” and warns “apostates” of Tunisia that “you will not enjoy security nor be pleased with peace while the Islamic State has men like these who do not sleep amidst grievances,” according to the SITE translation.
Here is the full translated version below:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Statement Claiming Responsibility for the Bardo Museum Operation in Tunisia of Islam
The Almighty said: “And they thought that their fortresses would defend them from Allah! But Allah’s (Torment) reached them from a place whereof they expected it not, and He cast terror into their hearts…” [From Al-Hashr: 2]
Praise be to Allah, the lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon he who was sent with the sword as a mercy to the worlds. And thereafter:
In a blessed invasion for which Allah facilitated its causes on one of the dens of disbelief and immorality in Muslim Tunisia, two immersing knights from the knights of the State of the Caliphate, Abu Zakaria al-Tunisi and Abu Anas al-Tunisi, launched and were heavily equipped with machine guns and hand grenades to target Bardo Museum, which is located within the security square of the Tunisian parliament. Allah let horror enter the hearts of the disbelievers. The brothers were able to lay siege to a malicious group from the citizens of the Crusader countries, who were deceived by the apostates, beautifying for them the land of Tunisia to be a hotbed for their disbelief and debauchery.
The blessed immersing operation led to killing and wounding dozens of Crusaders and apostates, and the failed security forces did not dare to approach but after the two heroes ran out of ammunition. We ask Allah to accept them among the martyrs and to grant them the highest rank of the Gardens of Paradise, and to make us join them both.
We tell the apostates who sit on the chest of Muslim Tunisia: Wait for the glad tidings of what will harm you, o impure ones, for what you have seen today is the first drop of the rain, Allah permitting. You will not enjoy security nor be pleased with peace while the Islamic State has men like these who do not sleep amidst grievances.
Allah is Great.
“But honor, power and glory belong to Allah, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites know not.”
