Tunisian authorities arrest 2 senior Ennahda party members

TUNIS, Tunisia

The Ennahda Movement said on Wednesday that Tunisian security forces have detained two leading members of the opposition party.

Ennahda said that Abdel Karim Harouni, a former minister and head of the movement's Shura Council, the group’s highest-ranking body, was arrested late Tuesday.

It also stated that Mondher Ounissi, the party's vice president and acting head, was arrested "without prior notification" and taken to "an unknown destination."

The local Radio Mosaique FM said Harouni was held on money laundering charges.

Ennahda movement called for the release of the two officials.

Tunisian authorities have cracked down on opponents since February, arresting several media figures, activists and politicians, including Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi.

Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis that aggravated the country's economic conditions since President Kais Saied ousted the government and dissolved parliament in 2021.

While Saied insists that his measures were meant to "save" the country, critics have accused him of orchestrating a coup.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi and Mahmoud Barakat