The gunman, disguised as a tourist, pulled out a Kalashnikov hidden in an umbrella before firing at holidaymakers on the beach.
A gunman disguised as a holidaymaker has killed at least 38 people, including eight Britons, in an attack on a popular tourist resort.
Terrified sunbathers ran for their lives as the attacker, dressed in shorts and hiding his Kalashnikov inside an umbrella, opened fire on the beach in Port el Kantaoui on the outskirts of Sousse, Tunisia.
He then entered the Imperial Marhaba hotel through the swimming pool area, shooting people as he went and also threw an explosive, witnesses said.
Tourists in the sea and on the sand ran and barricaded themselves in their hotel rooms after gunfire erupted, while medics used sunloungers to carry victims still in their swimming costumes.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed at least five Britons had died and warned the number could rise.
He said a "high proportion" of the casualties were expected to be British "because of the nature of the resort".
Irish mother-of-two Lorna Carty, from Robinstown, Co Meath, was also killed. Family friends said she had taken her husband on holiday to help him recover from heart surgery.
And the nurse, who was aged in her 50s, was believed to have gone to the beach by herself when the gunman went on the rampage.
Tunisia's health ministry said British, German, Belgian and Tunisian nationals were among the dead.
At least 36 people were injured in the assault, which happened just hours after a man was decapitated by an attacker brandishing Islamist flags at a French factory.
The US State Department said there was no evidence the atrocities were co-ordinated.
Earlier this week, Islamic State (IS) called on its supporters to increase attacks during Ramadan and "be keen on waging invasion in this eminent month and commit martyrdom".
The gunman in Tunisia was a young student from the city of Kairouan who was reportedly unknown to authorities. He was later shot dead by police.
Twitter accounts that support IS released three photos of someone they said was the gunman.
Speaking about how the country's worst attack in recent history unfolded, Tunisian security official Rafik Chelli said the gunman "had a parasol (umbrella) in his hand".
"He went down to put it in the sand and then he took out his Kalashnikov and began shooting wildly."
A photo has emerged of a dead man wearing black shorts, face down in the street with an automatic weapon next to him and surrounded by police.
The interior ministry had previously said two attackers were involved, including one who had fled the scene.
Local radio said police captured a second gunman, but officials did not confirm the arrest or his role in the attack.
British tourists have been describing what happened. Gary Pine said: "We thought fire crackers were going off but you could see quite quickly what was going on.
"There was a mass exodus off the beach. My son was in the sea at the time and myself and my wife were shouting at him to get out and as he ran up he said I’ve just saw someone get shot.
Holidaymaker Susan Ricketts said: "It sounded like a machine gun going off. There are people crying and going hysterical. We just came up to our room."
Another tourist John Yeoman, who barricaded himself inside his hotel room using a bed and chair, said: "People are running around the hotel. No-one has really been told what to do."
Prime Minister David Cameron said: "The people who do this do it in the name of a twisted perverted ideology."
A British embassy crisis team is being sent to Tunisia after a COBRA meeting took place to co-ordinate a response.
Travel companies have offered tourists the chance to change their holiday bookings to Tunisia in light of the attack.
Thomas Cook said customers due to travel between Friday and Sunday can cancel their holidays free of charge, while those flying out from Monday up to July 24 can amend bookings for holidays to Tunisia free of charge.
People booked through Monarch or Cosmos Holidays in the next seven days can also choose not to travel and instead change their destination.
Tui, which runs Thomson and First Choice, could not confirm whether it operated tours through the hotel.
Back in March Sky's Sherine Tadros reported that the bulk of foreign fighters who have joined the ranks of IS come from Tunisia.
Meanwhile, deadly explosions have hit a Shiite mosque in Kuwait's capital after Friday prayers. Dozens of people were killed and many others wounded in the attack.
Following the day of violence, British police are putting extra security measures in place for events this weekend, including Armed Forces Day and Pride London.[source]
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