by Our Foreign Desk

TUNISIA’S government began a crackdown against “illegal” mosques and organisations with alleged extremist links at the weekend following Friday’s massacre of 38 people at a beachfront hotel in Sousse.

Authorities identified the killer as Seifeddine Rezgui, a 24-year-old postgraduate at Kairouan University.

His victims included 15 Britons, along with Germans, Irish, Belgians and Portuguese. A further 39 people were wounded.

On Saturday night locals packed out the streets near the blood-soaked beach, rallying to reject the violence and carrying foreign flags in solidarity with the victims.

In response to the attack, Prime Minister Habib Essid promised to crack down on what he described as unregulated mosques preaching extremist ideas and close down organisations with extremist links.

The attack was claimed by the extremist Islamic State (Isis). Thousands of Tunisians, badly short-changed after the popular ousting of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, have joined the terror group.

At least 80 mosques have been shut, but Tunisians went online to criticise the government’s response.

Many pointed out that similar statements were made after 21 people were shot dead in March at the Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis, yet nothing substantial had been done.

This time Mr Essid has called up army reserves and posted guards at hotels and tourist sites. Interior Minister Mohamed Najem Gharsalli said that 1,000 extra police would be deployed.

“We don’t want to make tourist establishments into barracks … but we must act to guarantee the security of the tourist sector.”

Reassuring tourists is vital for the country, which counts on the money from visitors for 15 per cent of its GDP.

Thousands of Britons have already left the country and a major German tour operator said that 250 of its customers had decided to fly home early.

Britain’s Foreign Office has advised that further attacks are possible and is urging Britons not to visit the country’s south or go near the Libyan or Algerian borders.