Islamist militants ‘behead’ Tunisian policeman

An off-duty Tunisian policeman was beheaded by Islamist militants after he was kidnapped near the Algerian border late on Sunday, officials said on Monday.

The policeman was allegedly seized along with his brother by 10 militants who attacked the car they were travelling in, Interior Ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Laroui said, according to Reuters news agency.

The brother was reportedly released.

The spokesman said the beheading took place in the Touirif District in the city of El Kef. Local Tunisian media said the act was carried out by "terrorists."

The killing comes as the government is ramping up security amid preparations for a presidential election runoff this month between incumbent Moncef Marzouki and veteran politician Beji Caid Essebsi, the leader of secular Party Nida Tounes.

Among the militant groups operating in Tunisia is Ansar al-Sharia, which the United States considers a terrorist organization and accuses of orchestrating the storming of the U.S. embassy in Tunis in 2012.

(With Reuters and AFP)