MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A UK transport aircraft has left for Tunisia to carry out the repatriation of deceased British citizens following a terrorist attack on a northeastern Tunisian resort town of Sousse, which claimed lives of 15 Britons, a Whitehall source told the BBC Wednesday.
On June 26, a gunman, later identified as Seifeddine Rezgui, walked down a beach in Sousse killing 40 holidaymakers with an automatic rifle. Another 40 people were injured. The gunman was killed by police at the site. Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
According to the BBC source, the first stage of the repatriation process will take several days with the C17 cargo plane taking bodies back to the United Kingdom. All critically wounded Britons were flown to their homeland Tuesday.
Earlier on Monday, Tunisian security officials detained seven people, including the gunman's father and three university roommates, on suspicion of aiding and encouraging the suspect to carry out the deadly massacre.
