Former Tunisian prime minister detained by anti-terrorism police

Ali Laarayedh, former prime minister of Tunisia, was detained for one day by the country's anti-terrorism police.

A member of the Islamist opposition Ennahda party, according to lawyers, he was detained after an investigation into suspicions of sending jihadists to Syria.

Laarayedh is expected to appear before a judge on Wednesday.

His lawyer said: "We are shocked... the file is completely empty and without any evidence."

As part of the same case, the police also postponed the hearing of the opposition leader and speaker of the dissolved parliament Rached Ghannouchi.

Ennahda has denied the accusations of terrorism and labelled the events a political attack on an enemy of the president Kais Saied.

Saied has been accused by Ghannouchi of an anti-democratic coup after Saied seized most powers last summer, shut down parliament and moved to ruling by decrees. He has largely formalised these powers with a new constitution ratified in a referendum in June.

In August, two Ennahda members and several former security officials were arrested on charges related to Tunisians travelling for jihad.

Image: Flickr: Mouvement Ennahda