US says the arrest of Tunisian opposition leader Ghannouchi is a troubling escalation

The arrest of Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi, the closure of the Ennahda main opposition party headquarters and banning of meetings held by opposition groups, represent a troubling escalation by the Tunisian government, the US State Department said on Wednesday.

Tunisia banned meetings at all offices of Ennahda and police closed the headquarters of the Salvation Front main opposition coalition.

Ennahda fears the move will pave the way for banning the party and comes a day after police detained Ennahda leader Ghannouchi, the most prominent critic of President Kais Saied.