Sousse Beach Shooting

Attack Profile

On June 26, 2015, a beach resort in Tunisia was attacked by a 22-year-old electrical engineering student named Seifiddine Rezgui. Rezgui opened fire and killed 38 individuals, all of whom were European tourists.  The shooting lasted less than an hour and ended with police shooting and killing Rezgui. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in a string of violent incidents in Tunisia in 2015 and profoundly impacted the country’s tourism industry. Keep reading to learn more about how much the attack cost to conduct, and how it was financed.

Attack Details

At approximately 11:15 a.m., Rezgui was dropped off by a van off a side road near the resort. He walked along the beach with a Kalashnikov rifle hidden in an umbrella.  At approximately 11:50 a.m., Rezgui arrived at the five-star Hotel Rui Imperial Marhaba where he opened fire indiscriminately at tourists on the beach. He then entered the hotel complex grounds and continued his attack around the pool and inside the buildings. 20 minutes later, Rezgui was seen running away from the scene and towards side streets.  At around 12:30 p.m., Rezgui continued firing on the street until police fatally shot him.  

Following the attack, the Islamic State released a statement claiming responsibility for Rezgui’s actions.