Tunisia said on Thursday that two men, including a suspected member of a jihadist network, had been arrested over an alleged “terrorist” plot to infect security force personnel with coronavirus, AFP reports.

The suspected jihadist is accused of having used his influence over supporters displaying symptoms of the virus, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The other accused, who was already under surveillance and required to report regularly to a police station, said that he was told to deliberately cough everywhere to contaminate officers during his visit, the ministry said.

The two men were arrested on Monday in Kebili in southern Tunisia, according to National Guard spokesman Houssem Eddine Jebabli.