“Our brother, the soldier of the Caliphate, Abu Yahya al Qayrawani, reached his target the Imperial hotel despite the security measures,” the statement said. It said he had attacked a “bordel” and killed 40 “infidels”.

‘Majority’ Of 38 Tunisia Terror Dead Are British,” SKY News, June 27, 2015

Tunisia’s PM warns that most holidaymakers killed in a beach massacre were British, as IS claims it masterminded the attack.

Most of the victims of a terrorist attack targeting tourists in Tunisia are British, it is feared, as Islamic State claimed it was behind the massacre.

Tunisia’s Prime Minister Habib Essid appeared to confirm that the UK had suffered most fatalities after a gunman opened fire on holidaymakers sunbathing on a beach, killing at least 38 people.

Mr Essid told a news conference: “The majority are British. After come the Germans, then the Belgians and then other nationalities,” he said, adding that there were also French victims.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said at least five Britons had been killed and warned that the number was likely to rise.



IS social media accounts claimed Abu Yahya al Qayrawani was responsible

Irish mother-of-two Lorna Carty, from Robinstown, Co Meath, was also killed. Family friends said she had taken her husband on holiday to help him recover from heart surgery.

In a statement on social media, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Tunisian attack and released photos they said showed the gunman.



Video: People Run As Gunshots Are Heard

“Our brother, the soldier of the Caliphate, Abu Yahya al Qayrawani, reached his target the Imperial hotel despite the security measures,” the statement said. It said he had attacked a “bordel” and killed 40 “infidels”.

Terrified families ran for their lives on Friday as the killer, wearing shorts and hiding a Kalashnikov inside an umbrella, started shooting in Port el Kantaoui on the outskirts of Sousse.

He then entered the Imperial Marhaba hotel through the swimming pool area, shooting and throwing an explosive as he went, according to witnesses.

A security source said another bomb was found on his body, which lay with his assault rifle in the street where he was shot.

In the aftermath of the attack, the dead bodies of tourists lay crumpled on sunbeds on the beach and dozens more were injured.

One clinic in Sousse released the names of 12 Britons receiving treatment there.

Worried relatives took to social media to appeal for help tracing family members who had been staying in the resort.

Among them was Nicky Watson, who was trying to contact her daughter Susan Fulford.

She told Sky News: “We have tried everything… We know she was on the beach as her phone has been recovered and answered but there is no knowledge as to her whereabouts.”

Rafik Chelli, a senior interior ministry official, said the gunman killed was unknown to authorities and not on any watchlist of potential jihadists.

A security source named him as Saifeddine Rezgui, a 23-year-old electrical engineering student.

Local radio said police captured a second gunman, but officials did not immediately confirm the arrest or his role in the attack.



Video: At Least Five Britons Killed

Mr Essid said his government plans within a week to close down 80 mosques that remain outside state control, for inciting violence, and crack down on financing for certain associations, as a countermeasure.

Meanwhile, hundreds of British holidaymakers have been fleeing Tunisian resorts since the massacre.

Tour companies hurriedly arranged coaches and flights to get them home, with most people wanting to get out of the country as quickly as possible.

Dean Seymour, who was in his hotel room when he heard a commotion, told Sky News: “There was a lot of people running down the corridor, hysterical screaming, saying there’s a gunman in the hotel.”

He went to the balcony and looked down.

“There was a youngish, I’m guessing, Tunisian man with a machine gun and he was shooting randomly and shooting up in the air shouting in Arabic. I quickly shut the door and told everyone to get into the bathroom thinking that was the safest place,” he said.



Video: ‘My Son Saw Someone Get Shot’

The attack took place during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, on a day in which a decapitated body daubed with Arabic writing was found in France, a suicide bomber killed two dozen people at a mosque in Kuwait and at least 145 civilians were reported killed by Islamic State militants in northern Syria.

David Cameron called the Tunisian president on Friday night, telling him the UK stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Tunisia in the fight against terror.