Tunisia attack: ‘We must confront evil’ – Cameron

Prime Minister David Cameron led tributes to the victims of the Tunisia terror attack in the House of Commons today, as he vowed to “confront the evil” of Islamist extremism. He confirmed that 18 British holidaymakers were among the 38 victims massacred in Sousse, and warned this number was likely to rise.

Addressing MPs after the house observed a minute’s silence, he said there would be a nationwide minute of silence on Friday to remember the victims.

Updating the house on the latest meeting of Cobra, he said there was no evidence that Friday’s terror attacks – claimed by Islamic State militants – were “directly co-ordinated”. He also said the government would announce a number of new measures in the coming weeks aimed at tackling extremism and vowed the government would not be tolerant towards intolerance.

‘Generational struggle’

He said: “This is not the war between Islam and the west which Isil want people to believe – it is a generational struggle between a minority of extremists who want hatred to flourish and the rest of us who want freedom to proser. Together we will prevail.”

He said the government was working “as fast as we can” to get information to those families still waiting for news of their loved ones, three days after Friday’s attack. The PM’s spokesman said delays in identifying the dead are in part due to the fact that the victims may not have been carrying identification when they were shot.

Home Secretary Theresa May is in Tunisia, visiting the site of the attack at the beachside of the Imperial Marhaba resort. She was joined by French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve. German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere and Tunisia’s interior minister Najem Gharsalli to lay foral tributes along the beach.

A team of UK experts has been sent to Tunisia to assess the security situation in and around the country’s coastal resorts, to report back their findings by the end of the week.

Speaking with her Tunisian counterparts this afternoon, Mrs May paid tribute to the victims and praised the accounts of bravery from some of the survivors.

‘Despicable act of cruelty’

She said: “What happened here last Friday was a despicable act of cruelty. How could such a place of beauty, of relaxation and happiness, be turned into such a scene of brutality and destruction?”

Mrs May also met UK police and forensics officers as well as consular staff and the British ambassador. Mr Cameron’s spokeswoman said some of the bodies of the dead would be repatriated laster this week.

The killing spree by Kalashnikov-wielding student Seifeddine Rezgui targeted western tourists on the beack at the Imperial Marhaba and Bellevue hotels and only ended when he was shot dead by police. Investigators have revealed they are looking for at least one more accomplice, as they are sure Rezgui had help.

Scotland Yard said more than 600 officers are involved in what is its largest-counter-terrorism operation since the 7/7 bombings.