Tunisian authorities have identified as a Tunisian national the suicide bomber from Tuesday's bus attack which killed 12 presidential guards, the interior ministry said on Thursday. Interior Minister Najem Gharselli named Tuesday's attacker as Houssem Abdelli, 28, a street seller who lived near Ettadhamen, one of the poorer neighbourhoods of Tunis. She gave no details of any ties he might have had to Islamist militant groups. ISIS group has claimed the bombing, the third major militant attack in Tunisia this year following deadly assaults on a beach resort at Sousse and the Bardo museum in the capital, both of which targeted foreign tourists. Tunisia closes Libya border On Wednesday, Tunisia closed its border with Libya, a hotbed of Islamist unrest, while the interior ministry said that evidence indicated the explosive used in Tuesday's deadly attack may have come from Libya. The National Security Council, headed by President Beji Caid Essebsi, decided to close the frontier with Libya from midnight with "reinforced surveillance of maritime borders and in airports", a statement said. It also decided to "step up operations to block (Internet) sites linked to terrorism", while authorities would "take urgent measures regarding people returning from hotbeds of conflict, in line with the anti-terrorist law". The transport ministry said security would be reinforced at ports and only passengers would be allowed to enter Tunis's international airport. Thousands of Tunisians have travelled to Libya, as well as to Iraq and Syria, to fight alongside Islamic extremists, according to the authorities. In March, two IS jihadists stormed the National Bardo Museum in Tunis, killing 21 tourists and a policeman. And just days ago, a jihadist group claimed the beheading of a young Tunisian shepherd on behalf of ISIS extremists, accusing him of having informed the army about their movements. Calls for unity French President Francois Hollande expressed his "full solidarity" with Tunisia and spoke directly with the Tunisian president in the wake of the attack. The United States condemned the latest attack and offered to help Tunisia with its investigation. "Terrorists have sought to use fear and violence to undermine the important gains the Tunisian people have made in pursuit of a democratic, stable, and prosperous country," a White House statement said. Tunisia's press called for national unity and resistance. "United against barbarism," declared Le Quotidien. "Tunisia will not bend," said Le Temps, while Al-Maghreb called for "a new philosophy and special measures" to fight terrorism.
