A woman who was shot at during the horrifying Tunisian beach attack has told how her fiancée threw himself in front of her to shield her from bullets.
The couple from South Wales were holidaying in the Mediterranean city of Sousse when a gunman opened fire in the beach resort where they were staying.
The attack, which has claimed 38 lives so far, has left the woman’s fiancé, Mathew, in a critical condition after he took three bullets for her.
The couple were on the beach in front of their hotel when a man, identified as 23-year-old Seifeddine Rezgui, opened fire, killing 38 and injuring dozens. In the fire, Mathew reportedly pushed Saera out of the way and then shielded her with his body, protecting her from harm.
In doing this, he sustained three bullets to the shoulder, chest and hip. Thinking he was dead, Mathew implored Saera to run and seek safety, leaving him behind.
“I love you babe. But just go,” Mathew told Saera, “Tell our children that their daddy loves them.”
Fearing for her life, Saera did turn and flee, and had to wait an agonising three hours before finding out about Mathew’s condition.
“I had to leave everything on the beach – my bag, money, everything – and just go,” said a distraught Saera.
She was eventually reconnected with Mathew, who she found in a local hospital – but in bad shape.
It took several hours and multiple operations before Mathew was considered to be in the “comfortable and stable condition” he is in now.
Mathew, 30, a gas engineer and Saera, 26, a beautician, have two children aged six and 14 months, and are now on their way back to the UK, and are still on track to be married in the Summer of 2017.
The Queen has expressed her “sincere condolences” to the families of those lost in the attack in Tunisia on Friday.
Of the 38 killed in the massacre, the UK’s home secretary has revealed that 15 of them were British, with another two being from Ireland.
In her statement, the Queen revealed that both she and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, were “shocked” to hear of the attack, after which they offered their “deepest sympathy” to those families who has lost loved ones in the attack.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those of all countries who have been affected by this terrible event,” said the Queen.
The father of the man who was responsible for the attacks has also spoken out, after being released from police custody.
Hakim Rezgui, whose son, Seifeddine, killed 38 on the beach, did not even know of the attack until he was confronted by police.
“People keep asking me for information and I don’t know what to tell them, I was completely taken aback by the news of what my son had done. I had just got back from work at 11.30am, I work on the railway lines,” said the distraught father, “I went to sleep as it’s Ramadan and I was fasting, then at 4pm the police came to my house and said they needed me to come with them.”
“I asked why and they said, “Haven’t you been watching the news?” And that’s when they told me,” he continued, “I was shocked of course, I didn’t realise it was even happening. He’s been going to university and doing well, and that’s all I knew.”
Talking to local police, Seifeddine’s father said he was “ashamed” of his son, and gave his apologies and condolences to the victims.
“I wish there had been no victims, no one hurt. I wish it had never happened. Because when I see the victims I think it could have been my own family. I had no idea and I am really sorry. I am upset to see those victims,” Mr Rezgui said, “I feel the loss of the families so strongly. I feel like I have died along with the victims. I am so ashamed for me, for his mother, for all our family.”
Mr Rezgui is a labourer that works on the train tracks for £10 a day.
A terrorist expert in the UK had warned that the UK could expect “more” terror attack as early as tomorrow.
Dr Afzal Ashraf, a Consultant Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, says that another attack could fall tomorrow as it coincides with the “anniversary” of ISIS.
Dr Ashraf has warned that ISIS, which was formed on June 29, could “celebrate” their anniversary with an attack on the UK, and has suggested that the attack in Tunisia could have been a part of the “celebration”.
Dr Ashraf suggested that as the Tunisia attack fell on a Friday because it was the last “holy day” before the “anniversary”.
“The timing of the atrocious attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait suggest that these events could have stemmed from the same motivation: to mark the first anniversary of the forming of the caliphate which will be on Monday,” said Dr Ashraf, “Instead of going to a mosque, the form of worship adopted by these people is to kill innocent people.”
