Two suicide bombers have blown themselves up outside the United States embassy in the Tunisian capital, killing a policeman and injuring several others, authorities said, in the most serious attack in months.
Witnesses said a man on a motorbike blew himself up near the diplomatic mission in the Berges du Lac district, causing panic among pedestrians at the site.
Photos posted on local news websites showed damaged vehicles on the road outside the embassy.
Police taped off the area around the blast site, which was littered with debris. The US flag could be seen fluttering in the background.
The US embassy in Tunis said emergency personnel were responding to the explosion.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
The Interior Ministry said two suicide bombers were killed carrying out the attack, and five police and one civilian were injured.
State news agency TAP, citing the Interior Ministry, later reported that one of the security officials succumbed to his wounds.
“We heard a very powerful explosion … we saw the remains of the terrorist lying on the ground after he went on the motorbike towards the police,” said Amira, a shopkeeper.
Armed gunmen have targeted Tunisia in recent years, killing scores of people.
Last summer, ISIL (ISIS) said it was behind three blasts in the capital, including one near the French embassy that killed a policeman and another that wounded five people during a security operation to detain a suspect.
