Jane Marriott, director of the government’s joint international counter terrorism unit, told an inquest into the attack in June 2015 that left 38 dead, that it was common to consult local sources when collating travel advice, “which could include tour operators”.
The hearing at London’s Royal Courts of Justice was told that there had been eight terrorist attacks between August 2013 and November 2014 including an attack in Sousse in October 2013 that killed only the bomber.
In March 2015, terrorists murdered 22 people at Tunis’s Bardo museum, after which a meeting was called with interested parties including travel agents and tour operators. Sousse and Port el Kantoui were specifically discussed.
“We made it clear the importance of a more visible police presence. We needed to see an improvement in tourism security if we were to keep the (travel) advice as it was,” Marriott said. “We wanted to see a commitment that British nationals were properly protected.”
Government documents shown to the hearing detail how hotels had appeared to step up security, including instigating bag searches and recording car number plates.
The meeting decided that wording should be added that “further attacks are possible”, but that no further advice should be given. “There was a general agreement that the travel advice was correctly pitched,” she said. Marriott added: “We had no prior knowledge of Sousse whatsoever.”
Counsel to the inquests, Samantha Leek QC, said tour operators had not adjusted summer 2015 programmes following the Bardo attack. “There was no evidence of cancellations, but this is probably evidence of the no-refund policy that is closely connected to British travel advice,” she said.
The hearing also heard evidence from a Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist squad investigation. It estimated that the gunman was able to walk and run 1.89 miles on his 20-minute killing spree before being cornered by police.
The hearing was also told that although there were seven CCTV cameras in the hotel, there was no monitoring of them at a central control point and that there was no camera on the beach gate where the gunman entered.
The inquest continues.
