63 suspects arrested, Tunis shuts mosques for fiery rhetoric

Security authorities have arrested 63 persons charged with terrorist activities during a wide-scale operation in regions in central and northwestern Tunisia, the Tunisian Ministry of Interior said on Sunday.
The official statement indicated that the relevant authorities had obtained approval of the public prosecution before carrying out the raids to detain the suspected terrorists.
Among the arrestees is Makram Al-Molhi, described as a notorious militant. He is accused of belonging to a terrorist organization, carrying out terrorist attacks on Tunisian territories and perpetrated murders.
Meanwhile, the official Tunisian news agency reported that gunmen opened fire at the army equestrian club in Al-Qasrain, southwest Tunis. The attackers fled the scene and non-one was hurt in the shooting.
Security forces were called in, the news agency said, adding that they searched for the car from which the fire was opened in the direction of the club compound.
In a related matter, the Tunisian Government has decided to shut down, immediately, mosques in which manifestations of jubilation were reported after the recent terrorist attack on the army soldiers in the remote Mount Chaabi near the Algerian border. The punishable action would be also taken against mosques where sermons included rhetoric intended to incite violence.
The official news agency quoted a government statement as saying that instructions were given to the minister of higher education and information technology to take punitive action against internet users who call for violence and terrorism.
Moreover, the government has also decided to close unlicensed radio and television stations "that have turned into platforms for jihad calls." On Wednesday, suspected militants attacked army outposts in Mount Chaambi, killing 15 soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks on the Tunisian Army on record.
The armed militants engaged in the anti-state action are suspected to be affiliated to the notorious Al-Qaeda organization.