The suspects are accused of several crimes, among them helping irregular migrants travel to Europe, conspiring against the internal and external security of the state, and engaging in espionage to undermine the integrity of Tunisian territory.
The nine arrests followed a raid by security officials on an apartment in the city of Sousse, which was owned by one of the suspects. Several computers were seized from the property to serve as evidence,
In a statement shared with the TAP news agency, local court spokesman Wissam Cherif said that initial findings of the investigation suggest that the suspects were engaged in illegal activities from the apartment, primarily managing the affairs of irregular Tunisian immigrants to a European country.
Among those taken into custody are woman of European nationality, a woman from a neighboring country, three sub-Saharan African nationalss, and four Tunisians, according to court information.
The leader of the operation, a European national, had earlier claimed that the apartment served as a call center to process the legal status of irregular migrants.
However, the alleged company has no legal presence in Tunisia, and the European suspect, who does not reside in Tunisia, appears to manage the operations of the facility through another European woman residing in Tunisia illegally.
Initial findings also revealed that financial transactions linked to the operation were regularly and illegally made from Tunisia.