Tunisia detains 30, identifies bomber after attack

A man places a bouquet of flowers on a police van, near the bus that exploded Tuesday in Tunis, Wednesday Nov.25, 2015. Tunisia’s Interior Ministry says 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of military explosives were used in an attack on a bus carrying presidential guards that left at least 13 people dead. AP

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisian authorities have detained 30 people suspected of having extremism links after a suicide bombing targeting presidential guards, and identified the bomber as a local street vendor.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement Thursday that forensic police identified the attacker as 27-year-old Houssam ben Hedi ben Miled Abdelli by his DNA. It said he was from a working class neighborhood on the edge of Tunis.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack on a bus in central Tunis, which left 12 dead plus the attacker.

READ: Tunisia declares state of emergency after bus blast kills 12 | IS claims Tunisia attack, suspected bomber’s body found

In a later statement, the ministry said it detained 30 people suspected of links to extremist groups and seized several weapons in 526 raids around the country over the past 24 hours. It didn’t say whether any of the suspects had ties to the attack.

The blast shook Tunisia and its fragile young democracy after two attacks on tourist sites this year by Islamic radicals that killed 60 people.

A disgruntled Tunisian vendor set himself on fire in 2010, sparking a nationwide uprising that overthrew the president and led to revolts across the Arab world.