Tunisia beach massacre: Police deliberately `delayed arrival`

Police deliberately slowed down their arrival to the scene of a deadly terrorist attack on a sun-kissed north African beach, an inquest has heard. Law enforcement units were criticised in a local investigation into the slaughter of 38 tourists – including 30 Britons – in the June 2015 assault by extremist Seifeddine Rezgui Yacoubi. A London hearing was told the Tunisian police were accused of “stalling” as they made their way to the five-star Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel in Sousse. Rezgui “systematically” gunned down the innocent holidaymakers on the hotel`s beach before going into the grounds and the building and killing more, the hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice heard. Samantha Leek QC, counsel to the inquest, said a report by Tunisian Judge Akremi had identified failings by local units which could have ended the slaughter before more officers arrived and shot Rezgui dead. She told a courtroom packed with relatives that an unnamed interior minister had told the judge some Tunisian security officers nearby had consciously slowed down their arrival. Ms Leek said: “He said the units that should have intervened in the events deliberately and unjustifiably slowed down to delay their arrival at the hotel. “They had the ability to put an end to the attack before the police arrived but wasted a considerable amount of time in getting to the hotel.” The hearing, scheduled to last for seven weeks, will also examine security in place at the hotel by tour firm TUI and the travel advice issued for Tunisia by the UK Government. It followed a terror attack at the Bardo National Museum in the capital, Tunis, in March 2015 in which 24 people were killed. The lead-up to the full inquest opening on Monday (January 16) saw the Government apply for certain elements of the inquests to be kept private over concerns about national security. An earlier hearing was told that many families feared the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) may have failed in its responsibilities to thousands of British tourists. Some of the families of those caught in the Sousse attack said they had been assured by tour operator Thomson that it was safe to travel to Tunisia after the Bardo attack. TUI, the travel company that owns Thomson, is represented at the inquest, as is the Government. Ms Leek said the inquest would hear evidence “critical of TUI” as well as witnesses on behalf of the firm. When Ms Leek referred to the possibility of asking witnesses questions that relate to “sensitive security material”, Coroner Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith said: “I am very keen to avoid any in-camera hearings.” Detective Superintendent Mark Gower, from the Metropolitan Police Service`s counter-terrorism unit, was the first witness called. The inquest was shown satellite images which marked out the orientation of the Imperial Marhaba Hotel in relation to other hotels. The images are the result of 3D scans in more than 300 locations around the resort, Mr Gower told the inquest. Photographs shown included the gate to the beach with palm trees on either side, the outdoor pool taken from a hotel balcony, and a view of the reception desk. The court was shown a map with a moving red arrow – representing the route the gunman took. Det Supt Gower said that while they could not be absolutely certain about his exact route, this was their best assessment given the evidence in Tunisia CCTV footage and from witness accounts. A map was shown which pointed out the locations of eight CCTV cameras. Mr Gower said a number of requests were made to Tunisian authorities for CCTV but it was only material from these cameras that was made available. “We know there were other cameras … whether they were genuine or dummy cameras we don`t know,” he said. The inquest was shown CCTV of a white van dropping the gunman off. He gets out and walks off, carrying a large item. The van then drives off. One family from Wednesbury in the West Midlands was left devastated by the attack. Suzanne Richards lost her son Joel Ri