On January 16, 2017, the official inquests into the deaths of 30 British tourists on a beach in Sousse, Tunisia, in June 2015 will begin. That they died at the hands of the gunman Seifeddine Rezgui is undisputed. But was there another party that was also responsible – could their tour operator Tui have done more to protect them? And should it have stopped them from even being there in the first place?
That is the suggestion from solicitor firm Irwin Mitchell, which is representing 16 of the British citizens killed in the attack. Two weeks ago, the second pre-inquest review into the deaths of the 30 Britons took place at the Royal Courts of Justice – a hearing that Irwin Mitchell described as a “significant step forward into the… proceedings”.
“We welcome the coroner’s decision to examine the security arrangement at the Riu Imperial Marhaba hotel at the time of the incident in June 2015 and in the months leading up to it,” it said in a statement. “Given the escalation of terrorist activity in Tunisia prior to the attack, there are serious concerns about the level of security precautions at the hotel.” Following the hearing, media reports added that representatives of the relatives had stated there were “likely to be civil claims” in the future.
Lawyers have said they believe such a claim is now looking increasingly likely. “Everything we hear suggests it’s going to happen,” said Matt Gatenby, partner at Travlaw.
