Two men on a moped detonated a bomb at the security checkpoint near the US embassy in Tunis on Friday at 11 am. No deaths were reported at the time of the suicide attack.

Tunisia’s Ministry of Interior said in a statement that the two suicide bombers targetted a police patrol opposite the embassy, injuring five police officers and one female civilian.

“Emergency personnel are responding to an explosion that occurred near the U.S. Embassy in Tunis. Please avoid the area and monitor local media for updates,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement on Facebook. 

The Embassy said on Twitter that Emergency units have been deployed to respond to the bombing, advising citizens not to approach the area.

Emergency personnel are responding to an explosion that occurred near the U.S. Embassy in Tunis. Please avoid the area and monitor local media for updates.

— U.S. Embassy Tunis (@usembassytunis) March 6, 2020

“Emergency personnel are responding to an explosion that occurred near the U.S. Embassy in Tunis.  Please avoid the area and monitor local media for updates.”

The statement added that a ministerial council is being held at the Carthage Palace to follow-up on the terrorist attack.

Photos and videos posted on social media show civilians running from the scene

After mass deployment of police officers, the area was cordoned off as a safety measure.

The U.S. embassy in Tunis is located in the Berges du Lac district, the district hosts a number of international embassies.

Citing the ministry of interior, state-run agency TAP, later reported that one of the injured policemen succumbed to his wounds.

The victim, second Lieutenant Taoufik Mohamed Missaoui, was a member of the internal security forces, the Interior Ministry said in a press release. 

TAP added, citing a judicial source, that the Counter-Terrorism Judicial Division is now investigating the suicide attack to identify the perpetrators of the attack.