Star Wars sets are safe from Isis, say Tunisian officials

A recent CNN news report suggested the area of Tunisia where George Lucas filmed Star Wars was under threat from Isis fighters travelling to Libya – but officials have denied there is any danger.

“This information is false and without foundation and doesn’t reflect the reality,” Mohammed Sayem, a tourism official in the city of Tozeur, told Associated Press. Meanwhile, Colonel Mokhtar Hammami of the National Guard added: “I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that all is normal – in fact we’ve seen a big influx of foreign tourists and Tunisians.” He said the area around the sets was being patrolled by 1,500 troops.

The CNN report dubbed the area around Tataouine in the east of the country as a “way-station” for Isis fighters, after three men allegedly heading to Libya to join a terrorist network were arrested in the town earlier in the year. It was from Tataouine that George Lucas took the name of the planet Tatooine for his Star Wars saga – but contrary to the report, the film sets themselves are in the west of the country, and have not seen any unrest. A dance music festival, Les Dunes Electroniques, was recently held there.

There are worries the inaccurate report will have further damaged the country’s tourist trade, already rocked by the attack by two Isis gunmen on the Bardo museum in Tunis which left 23 people dead. The #JeSuisBardo social media campaign has started up in reaction to the attack, with people asserting that they will still visit Tunisia on holiday.