CAIRO — Al Qaida has again struck a major Western tourist site in
Egypt.
At least 23 people were killed and 75 injured in three coordinated
bombings in the Dahab resort in the Sinai Peninsula on Monday evening.
Egyptian security sources said that up to five of the casualties were
foreigners. Most of the victims were said to have been Egyptians, Middle East Newsline reported.
The resort was packed with Egyptian and Western tourists who sought to
use the diving facilities in the Sinai town, located about 100 kilometers
from the Israeli city of Eilat. Authorities said the bombers were probably
foreigners aided by Egyptians in Sinai.
Egyptian security sources linked the bombings in Dahab to an audio
message released a day earlier by Al Qaida chief Osama Bin Laden. There was
no immediate claim of responsibility for the Sinai attack.
This was the third such strike in the Sinai in 18 months, attributed by
Western analysts to Al Qaida. The Egyptian Interior Ministry said 23 people
were killed and more than 60 injured in the latest spate of bombings.
"There is no evidence of a link with previous incidents," Sinai Gov.
Mohammed Hani Al Mutli said. "The previous bombs were much bigger than those
used in this incident."
Officials said at least two of the blasts — which took place during an
Egyptian holiday — were caused by bombs detonated by remote control. Two of
the bombs were detonated in restaurants and a third exploded in a crowded
supermarket.
"It would be very premature to jump to conclusions regarding who the
people behind this are and who carried out these bombings," Egyptian Tourism
Minister Mohammed Garana said on Tuesday.
In July 2005, at least 64 people, mostly tourists, were killed in
bombings at Sharm e-Sheik. In October 2004, 34 people were killed in
bombings in Taba and Ras Shitan.
Al Qaida was believed to have been responsible for both strikes.
Egyptian security sources said an unidentified Palestinian linked to Islamic
Jihad directed the attacks.
Israel has again called on its citizens to leave the Sinai as well as
the rest of Egypt immediately. The Israeli government said there were no
reports of Israeli casualties in Dahab. About 1,700 Israelis were said to be
in Sinai.
"The global jihad has succeeded in penetrating and recruiting local
Bedouins, driven primarily by greed for money," Brig. Gen. Elkana Har-Nof, a
senior Israeli security official, said. "Today, you don't know which of the
Bedouins have been recruited and integrated in the global jihad. After this
attack, they are already planning the next one."
