29 Jan 2021; MEMO: Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi has declared that any attempt to harm President Kais Saied means targeting Tunisia and its people.
The official news agency confirmed that Mechichi called Saied to check on him and convey his unwavering loyalty to the president in the face of any attempt to harm him, following the news circulated by media outlets regarding an attempt to poison the president.
Mechichi stated: "Any attempt to harm the President of the Republic, if confirmed, constitutes an attempt to target Tunisia and the Tunisian people in his capacity as president of the country and all the Tunisians, and as a protector of the country's unity, pending the results the examinations and investigations undertaken by the competent official authorities."
Sources from the Tunisian presidency confirmed that a suspicious envelope was delivered to the presidential palace in Carthage, indicating that the envelope, which was empty, contained a suspicious substance.
The sources told that President Saied did not make contact with the envelope, which was opened by an employee of the presidential palace, while the suspicious substance in the envelope is currently under examination. Furthermore, an investigation has been opened to detect the source of the envelope.
The pro-Saied Facebook page "Professor Kais Saied" published news of an attempt to poison President Saied, using an envelope containing ricin poison which is known to cause immediate death, before deleting the post and reporting that an envelope containing a suspicious substance was delivered to the presidential palace.
