TUNIS — Tunisian authorities said Sunday that all mosques and media calling for jihad are to be immediately closed in a bid to end a radical movement they fear will derail the nation’s move to democracy.
The government announced the closing of mosques operating outside control of the Religious Affairs Ministry and places of worship that celebrated the killings last week of 15 Tunisian soldiers near the Algerian border.
It also announced the closing of unlicensed TV and radio stations that call for jihad and declare some people infidels.
On Saturday, police arrested some 60 suspected Islamist radicals in sweeps through numerous regions.
The arrests followed attacks on two army posts on Mount Chaambi by an extremist group believed linked to Al Qaeda’s North Africa arm, which claimed responsibility for a recent army post attack.