Survivors of Wednesday's Islamic
terrorist tourist massacre in a Tunis museum made their way home
Friday.
"I was outside the museum, the shooting was going on behind
me, it was terrible," said Sara Belmessieri, 35, after landing
at Genoa airport earlier in the day.
"In those moments all I could think about was my parents
and an overwhelming desire to come home," she said.
Another survivor, 55-year-old Sonia Reddi, is being flown
in to Milan's Malpensa airport later on Friday.
She was severely wounded in the attack that killed her
husband, and an ambulance will be standing by to take her to
hospital in her native city of Novara.
In Turin, Mayor Piero Fassino boarded a bus carrying some
30 survivors back home, shaking hands with each one.
"God saved us," said one woman.
"My thoughts go out to the orphans," said another.
At least two of the four Italian fatalities were employees
of the Turin town council, which declared two days of mourning
with flags at half mast.
Italy's Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Friday that
their remains will be brought home Saturday by an Air Force
flight.
Another Italian tourist, Lorena Boni, remains hospitalized
in Tunis.
Also on Friday, the interior ministry issued a statement
saying the risk of copycat actions in Italy "cannot be
excluded".
The ministry's public security department issued a
statement urging security forces to beef up protection at
Tunisian diplomatic posts and other potential targets.
Meanwhile in Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest
said there is no clear evidence yet that the bloody attack in
which a total of 23 people died was masterminded by the Islamic
State (ISIS) extremist organization, which had claimed
responsibility.
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