Spain raises terror alert level following attacks in Tunisia, France

Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz announced on Friday that the country has raised its level of alert in the face of a terrorist attack from level three to level four on a scale of one to five in the wake of the attacks in France and Tunisia earlier in the day.

One person was killed in France, while at least 37 tourists are confirmed to have died in at an attack on the Tunisian resort of Sousse.

Diaz explained following a meeting between members of the government and the opposition Socialist Party that Spain's proximity to both France and Tunisia was one reason for the decision and that security forces mean there is a "high risk" of an attack on Spain.

A level four alert means there will be a high police presence in the streets of Spain's major cities, while places such as railways stations and airports and strategic sites such as power stations will also have extra armed police on duty.

A level four alert does not mean that the military will be called on to give added protection, that is something that would only happen is a level five alert were to be called. The last time the military were called on was in the wake of the March 11 Atocha train bombings in 2004, which killed 191 people.

Spain is a major tourism destination in the Mediterranean area. With over 65 million visitors it was the third most popular destination for foreign visitors in 2014 with 2015 so far seeing a 5 percent rise on last year's visitor numbers. Endit