Scottish Ministers Discuss Tunisia Response

Scottish ministers have taken part in a resilience meeting to discuss the ongoing response to the terrorist attack in Sousse, Tunisia.

At least 15 Britons were among 39 holidaymakers killed in the beach massacre.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister John Swinney and other senior Scottish ministers have met with officials and senior representatives from Police Scotland for a Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGORR) meeting.

Speaking afterwards, Ms Sturgeon said the Government was preparing for the possibility that some of the victims could be Scottish, while it stands ready to offer assistance to holidaymakers arriving back from Tunisia in the coming days.

She said: This has been a horrifying and senseless act of violence. The perpetrators of this atrocity do not speak for Muslims, and their actions in the name of Islam are a perversion of that faith.

Our heartfelt condolences go to all of those who have lost loved ones in this horrific attack. My thoughts are also with any families who are worried about relatives they may not have been able to contact and with all those who have sustained injuries.

We understand that a high number of those killed are likely to be UK citizens, and while there are not so far any confirmed victims from Scotland, we must prepare ourselves for that possibility.''

She added: The Scottish Government is closely monitoring the situation and we are in regular contact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. I would encourage anyone with any concerns about the welfare of their friends and families to contact the helpline.

We stand ready to offer whatever assistance we can, especially as people arrive back in Scotland from Tunisia in the coming days. I would echo Police Scotland's advice to remain vigilant and alert and also want to reassure the public that our counter-terrorism arrangements are as robust as possible.''

UK foreign minister Tobias Ellwood said that the Sousse atrocity was ''the most significant terrorist attack on the British people'' since July 7 2005, when 52 people were killed.

Kalashnikov-wielding student Seifeddine Rezgui targeted Western tourists as he terrorised the popular resort.

Scottish tourist Diane Boyd said she and her partner ran from the beach after hearing rapid gunfire in the resort.

She said: We were on the beach sunbathing when we heard sudden noise which sounded like gunfire. Everyone was running very quickly from the beach into their hotel so we just got up and ran with them and went into the reception area, which was all quite hectic.

We ended up going up to our room for about an hour and from our balcony we could see the beach. We could see armed policemen, we could see helicopters, ambulances and coastguards.''