TUNIS — The Tunisian National Guard announced Saturday that its forces have thwarted a stabbing attack on Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine and dismantled the concerned terrorist cell.

The terrorists had prepared to attack the minister during his visit to the southeast of Tunisia in early January.

In a press statement, the National Guard spokesperson Houcemeddine Jbabli said that NG forces had recently arrested an extremist element who was planning to stab the interior minister during visit to the southwestern Tozeur Governorate.

“The terrorist cell, which attacked a security patrol in Douz on Jan. 4 in the southeastern province of Kebili, was planning to stab the minister during his visit to the region,” the private radio station Mosaique FM quoted Jbabli as saying.

Investigators found that an element of the fraction was in contact with other terrorists in the eastern coastal provinces of Medenine and Sousse.

Jbabli added that the arrested suspect had links with another female terror suspect who was arrested year and a half ago at the Carthage International Airport for planning to carry out terror attacks on tourist sites.

He unveiled that the National Guard forces had also dismantled 148 terror cells, arrested their members and foiled their plots in the past six months. — Agencies