Several political parties have called for the repatriation of Tunisian militants to be indefinitely blocked. Berlin has pressured Tunis to accept rejected asylum-seekers from Tunisia after the Christmas market attack.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Y. Valat
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Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said on Thursday that jihadis seeking to return to or who have been sent back to the North African country would be arrested and tried under counter-terrorism laws, a measure that has seen widespread criticism from social and political groups.
"The Tunisian state has not signed any deal on the return of terrorists, and the government's position on the matter is clear. It does not support the return from areas of tension," Chahed told state broadcaster "El Wataniya" after meeting with President Beji Caid Essebsi.
"Those who do return will be immediately arrested on their arrival on Tunisian territory and will be tried, and the counter-terrorism law will be applied against them," he added.
Tunis has come under increased scrutiny after German authorities identified 24-year-old Tunisian national Anis Amri as the main suspect in the Christmas market attack on December 19 that left 12 people dead and dozens more injured in Berlin.
Although Germany rejected Amri's request for asylum, his deportation had been delayed by Tunisian authorities' inability to confirm his identity as a Tunisian national.
Since the attack, Berlin has pressured Tunis into expediting the return of suspected jihadis to the North African country.
'Intention to repatriate'
However, the measure to address returning foreign fighters and suspected militants has been met with nationwide criticism in Tunisia.
More than 1,000 people on Sunday took to the streets of the nation's capital to protest the repatriation of foreign fighters.
On Thursday, six political parties issued a joint statement calling for the Tunisian government to block the repatriation of suspected jihadis.
"The German government had announced its intention to repatriate several asylum seekers among them Tunisian nationals," the statement said, adding that they should not be allowed to enter Tunisia, reported Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) agency.
Meanwhile, the union for domestic security forces called on the government to strip Tunisian jihadis overseas of their nationality in a bid to prevent them from returning to the country.
However, Essebsi said it is not possible to strip Tunisians of their nationality, citing the constitution. Instead, they must be brought to justice if they have committed terrorist attacks, he noted.
Chronology: Terror plots in Germany
Several times over the past 18 months, police have managed to thwart terror attacks and plots in Germany, which has clearly become a target for Islamic militants in Europe. The following made the headlines:
Image: Reuters/M. Rehle
Leipzig, October 2016
Police in Leipzig arrested 22-year-old Syrian refugee Jaber al-Bakr after a two-day manhunt following the discovery of explosives and other bomb-making equipment at his apartment in Chemnitz. He was suspected of plotting to attack a Berlin airport. Two days later, he hanged himself in his prison cell.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Willnow
Ansbach, July 2016
In July, the "Islamic State" (IS) claimed responsibility for two attacks carried out by asylum seekers. 15 people were injured in a crowded wine bar next to the entrance to a music festival in the Bavarian town of Ansbach after a rejected Syrian asylum seeker detonated an explosive device. The man killed himself in the attack.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/D. Karmann
Würzburg, July 2016
A 17-year-old asylum seeker wielding an axe and a knife went on a rampage on a regional train near Würzburg, seriously injuring four members of a tourist family from Hong Kong and a passer-by. The attacker was shot dead by police. German authorities said the teenager was believed to be a "lone wolf" inspired by the IS, but without being a member of the network.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Hildenbrand
Düsseldorf, May 2016
Three suspected members of the "Islamic State" terror network were arrested in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg and Baden Württemberg. Authorities say two of the men planned to blow themselves up in downtown Düsseldorf, while the other attacker and a fourth jihadist arrested in France planned to target pedestrians with guns and explosive devices.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Hitij
Essen, April 2016
Police arrested three people over a bomb blast that injured three people in a Sikh temple in Essen. The bomb detonated after a wedding party, blowing out windows and destroying a part of the building's exterior. A 16-year-old suspect turned himself in after police showed footage of the attack from a surveillance camera and special police units arrested another young suspect in his parents' home.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kusch
Hanover, February 2016
German-Moroccan Safia S. is charged with stabbing a police officer at the main train station in the northern city of Hanover. The 16-year-old girl is suspected of having been "motivated by members of the Islamic State group in Syria to commit this act," chief prosecutor Simon Heinrichs said.
Image: Polizei
Berlin, February 2016
In separate raids across the country, police arrested three Algerians suspected of links to the "Islamic State" militant group and of having planned a terrorist attack in Berlin. The Berlin prosecutor's office said prosecutors were aware of a "concrete" plan to target the capital.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Oberursel, April 2015
The Eschborn-Frankfurt City loop bike race was called off after German police discovered it may have been the target of an Islamist terror attack. A 35-year-old German with a Turkish background and his 34-year-old wife were arrested on suspicion of planning the attack. Police found bomb-making materials in their home near the bike route.
