Spain increases terror alert following attacks in France, Tunisia

Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said Friday he has decided to raise the terror alert level from medium to high after the terror attacks in the two countries over security concerns over potential attacks on Spanish soil.
 
“Considering the proximity of our country to the places where some of these attacks took place, it has been proposed to raise the anti-terrorist alert from three out of five, or ‘medium,’ to four or ‘high,’” he told a news conference.
 
The deadliest terrorist attack in Spain took place in the Spanish capital, Madrid, in 2004. Over 190 people died and 1,800 others were injured in the coordinated train bombings. An al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist cell was behind the attack, which has been among the worst in the history of Europe.
 
In France, a man, reportedly carrying a flag of the Takfiri ISIL terrorist group, killed one person and injured several others at a gas factory located in the small town of Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Lyon, on Friday. The suspected attacker has been arrested.
 
At least 37 people, including foreigners from Europe, were also killed in another attack on Friday by two gunmen on a tourist resort in Port El Kantaoui tourist complex, 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) north of the town of Sousse in Tunisia. An exchange of gunfire was reported between the attackers and security forces. One of the gunmen is said to be killed and the other remains at large.
 
The terrorist attacks in France and Tunisia came on the same day that a bomb attack at a Shia mosque in Kuwait City killed over two dozen worshipers and injured more than 200 others during Friday prayers. The ISIL terrorist group claimed responsibility for the bombing.