Same weapon used in both politicians' killings, Tunisian Interior Minister says

TUNIS, Tunisia – Tunisia's Interior Minister says the same weapon used to assassinate a leftist politician Thursday also used in an assassination in February.

Lotfi Ben Jeddou announced Friday at a press conference that ballistic examination of the bullets fired Thursday at Mohammed Brahmi showed they came from the same gun used to kill leftist opposition leader Chokri Belaid five months earlier.

Two men on a moped shot Brahmi 14 times in front of his home as he was getting in his car. Belaid was killed in a similar fashion.

Ben Jeddou said the same Islamist extremist cell behind Belaid's killing was behind Brahmi's assassination.

The assassination has plunged the country into a political crisis, with the opposition calling for the dissolution of the government.