A young Tunisian street vendor was rushed to hospital with serious burns after he set himself alight on the capital’s main avenue on Tuesday.
His act immediately drew comparisons with the fatal self-immolation of a fruit vendor in the central town of Sidi Bouzid in December 2010 that triggered the Tunisian revolution.
Police identified the man as Adel Khedri, 27, from the impoverished north-western town of Jendouba.
Security forces and bystanders tried to intervene as he set himself on fire outside a theatre on Habib Bourguiba Avenue close to the Interior Ministry, a focal point for protests since the Jasmine Revolution.
According to Assabahnews website, he sold cigarettes at a city centre market but was regularly pulled up by police for selling without a permit.
Fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi’s act, which was motivated by police harassment, sparked an uprising against former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali that inspired pro-democracy revolts across the region.
