Tunisia synagogue blast 'was terrorism'

Tunisia acknowledged that a deadly gas truck explosion near a historic synagogue was caused by a criminal act.

The north African country had previously asserted that the blast, which killed 16 people, most of them Germans, was a tragic accident.

The April 11 explosion at the Ghriba synagogue on the resort island of Djerba was ‘‘a premeditated criminal act,’’ the government said in a statement.

The blast was carried out by a Tunisian, Nizar Naouar, and an unidentified accomplice who also lived in Tunisia, the statement said.

The investigation is continuing.

The acknowledgment came after German Interior Minister Otto Schily ended a two-day visit to Tunisia, saying Germany was ‘‘100%’’ sure the blast was the result of a terrorist attack.

‘‘Germany is now convinced that this was 100% a criminal, terrorist act,’’ Otto Schily said in Tunis.

Schily added that there was now ‘‘technical proof’’ the explosion was a deliberate attack.

He cited evidence about the way the tanks were mounted on the truck, the substance they contained and how the blast took place.

French authorities said on Friday that they had arrested Naouar’s brother in the southeastern city of Lyon, France, on an immigration violation.

In an interview on German TV late last night, Schily said an arrest had been made in connection with the explosion, although it was unclear whether he was referring to a man questioned and then later released in Germany last week.

Schily declined to give details, but ZDF television said the arrest was made in Tunisia.