Tunis — The murder of leftist Tunisian political leader Mohamed Brahmi on Thursday (July 25th) has sparked fears that the country could soon witness bombings and other attacks by home-grown terrorists.

Citizens' concerns mounted after Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou said that the drive-by shooting of Brahmi and the earlier slaying of Popular Front leader Chokri Belaid were conducted by the same parties and with the same weapon.

Apprehension on the Tunisian street heightened anew after the National Guards Union urged the country's political leaders to "immediately intervene to activate the anti-terrorism law, prepare a plan to protect security headquarters and change the method of work which no longer suits the current situation in the country".

The statement was issued one day after a Marine Pilotage Administration's vehicle was attacked in the northern suburb of La Goulette.

Although there were no casualties, the incident was seen as a stark challenge to the security apparatus, especially as it took place on the city's main street opposite the headquarters of a National Guard division.

"No one knows now whether the operation is just a warning ahead of a series of destructive operations or just a political message," said Nadir Sboui, a specialist in security affairs.

"In spite of this crime, there is a bit of good news in it: it was done through a primitive bomb made of ammonium not of more dangerous materials, such as Semtex or TNT, which I don't think they have; otherwise, they would have used it," Sboui said.

According to the National Guard union's statement, the country is about to undergo a tough stage "that may involve advanced, systematic terrorist attacks, such as bombings targeting public spaces, public means of transportation and some state structures".

The security apparatus, especially the internal intelligence agency, has been criticised for its failure to arrest the killers of Chokri Belaid after six months.

"If the killers of Belaid had been arrested, they wouldn't have been able to do it again with Mohamed Brahmi," said Makram Bouthouri, a 45-year-old employee at a financial institution.

Bouthouri wondered how the alleged killer, Boubaker Hakim, managed to return to the al-Ghazaleh district in the capital and commit the crime.

A week before the assassination of Brahmi, special forces raided the suspect's hideout. They failed to arrest him, but retrieved a pistol, ammunition and hand grenades.

Hakim was jailed on several occasions. Syrian authorities arrested him in 2004 for attempting to cross into Iraq. He was deported to France in 2005, where he was sentenced to eight years in prison for his involvement in the so-called Iraq cell.

Meanwhile, the interior minister hinted Friday that elements from Ansar al-Sharia were involved in the assassinations of Belaid and Brahmi.

But in a statement posted to their website later the same day, Ansar al-Sharia rejected "any attempt by official entities or paid media outlets to implicate us in the assassination of MP Mohamed Brahmi".

Ansar al-Sharia leader Abou Iyadh (real name Seif Allah Ben Hussein) also sent an open letter to the interior minister.

"You've made a big mistake by implicating Ansar al-Sharia," he said.