The leading suspect in the deadly attack on a Tunisian museum has been killed, the country's prime minister has said.
Prime Minister Habib Essid said that Khaled Chaieb, also known as Abou Sakhr Lokman, was killed overnight in an anti-terrorist operation.
Chaieb, who Tunis suspects of masterminding the assault on the Bardo Museum in Tunis on 18 March, is believed to be a prominent member of al Qaeda's North African arm, al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM).
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack which left 21 foreign tourists and a policemen dead but several armed groups in north Africa are known to have pledged allegiance to the extremist group.
It is not known if Chaieb was among nine suspected militants killed when security forces clashed with them in the southwest region of Sidi Aich, near the Algerian border.
State news agency TAP said Chaieb was killed overnight in an operation in the Gafsa region, also near the Algerian border. Sidi Aich is within the Gafsa region.
The announcement came as tens of thousands of Tunisians marched through Tunis in a show of solidarity against Islamist militants.
A major road in the Tunisian capital was turned red and white by people waving the country's flag as they took part in the rally, which was expected to be attended by several world leaders.
One of the demonstrators, Kamel Saad, said: "We have shown we are a democratic people, Tunisians are moderate, and there is no room for terrorists here. Today everyone is with us."
Until the Bardo attack, Tunisia had mostly avoided the levels of violence in other countries which saw uprisings during the Arab spring in 2011.
Tunisia has seen an upsurge in Islamist extremism but not to the same extent as in Libya, Yemen and Syria which have been plunged into civil war.
Egypt has seen a coup as the democratically elected Islamist government was subsequently ousted.
Earlier, French President Francois Hollande announced that another French tourist injured in the Bardo museum attack has died.
Huguette Dupeu had been in hospital after being seriously injured in the raid, which also saw the deaths of three more French tourists.
The other foreign tourists who died were from Italy, Japan, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Colombia and Australia as well as Briton Sally Adey, 57.
Two gunmen were killed in the brazen assault and authorities subsequently made arrests but until Sunday said they were still hunting for the mastermind.
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