Tunisian authorities arrested two American brothers on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist organization, two local sources told NBC News.
A senior police official said the brothers, both aged in their 30s, are originally from Michigan. The source said one of the men was carrying a U.S. passport that identified him as Patrick Alan Lawwill. NBC News has seen a photocopy of the passport, which was apparently issued in July 2015 and lists Lawwill's place of birth as Michigan. The brothers had recently converted from Christianity to Islam and one of them was married to a Tunisian woman who was also arrested, the source said.
A source in the governor's office also confirmed the arrests.
A State Department official said it was aware of reports the pair had been arrested "on suspicion of terrorist activities" but declined to comment further because of "privacy considerations."
