According to the party, Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda party, was detained by police on Monday. This is the latest high-profile arrest in a campaign targeting numerous notable opponents of President Kais Saied.
On Monday night, police raided and searched Ghannouchi’s residence before transporting him to what the Islamist organization Ennahda described as an “unknown destination.”
Leading Tunisian political figures were imprisoned this year after accusing Saied of coup planning in connection with his ambitions to remove the elected parliament in 2021 and rule by decree before changing the constitution.
In reaction to the earlier arrests, which resulted in claims of a conspiracy against state security, the US and rights groups have released concerned statements.
According to a senior police official, the public prosecutor investigating “inciting statements” had Ghannouchi arrested and his residence investigated. According to the source, the prosecutor will determine what to do next.
Ghannouchi and Ennahda have both refuted allegations that they helped Islamists fly to Syria to participate in jihad. Ghannouchi has faced many rounds of questioning in court over the past year as a result of these claims.
The 81-year-old returned to Tunisia in 2011 after living overseas since the country’s democratic revolution.
Following the 2019 elections, he was elected parliament speaker, and Ennahda moved to the political center, forging various governing coalitions with secular parties.
Ghannouchi has been the most prominent political party leader to oppose Saied since Saied’s assumption of broad powers, which the president feels is necessary to save Tunisia from years of crisis.
