GIZA, Egypt:Egyptian police killed 40 suspects in a crackdown yesterday after a roadsidebomb hit a tour bus claiming the lives of three Vietnamese holidaymakers and anEgyptian guide. Thirty alleged "terrorists" were killed in separateraids in Giza governorate, home to Egypt's famed pyramids and the scene ofFriday's deadly bombing, while 10 others were killed in the restive NorthSinai, the interior ministry said without directly linking them to the attack.
It saidauthorities had received information the suspects were preparing a spate ofattacks "targeting state institutions, particularly economic ones, as wellas tourism, armed forces, police and Christian places of worship". Theministry did not give any details about the suspects' identity or whether therehad been any casualties or injuries among the security forces. The statementsaid the three raids took place simultaneously. The ministry published photosof bloodied bodies with their faces concealed and assault rifles and shotgunslying on the floor beside them.
A security sourcesaid the raids took place early yesterday morning, hours after Friday evening'sroadside bombing which officials said hit a tour bus in the Al-Haram districtnear the Giza pyramids, killing the three Vietnamese holidaymakers and theirEgyptian guide. Eleven other tourists from Vietnam and an Egyptian bus driverwere wounded, the public prosecutor's office said. Saigon Tourist, the companythat organized the trip, said the tourists were "on their way to arestaurant for dinner" when the bomb exploded.
Company officialswere heading to Cairo yesterday and plans were made to allow some relatives ofthe victims to also fly to Egypt. One of them was Nguyen Nguyen Vu whose sisterNguyen Thuy Quynh, 56, died in the bombing, while her husband, Le Duc Minh, waswounded. The couple, both aged 56, were in the seafood business, Quynh'syounger brother said. "We were all very shocked... My sister and her husbandtravel quite a lot and they are quite experienced in travelling abroad,"Vu told AFP. He said he was applying for a visa for Egypt and hoped to travelyesterday. "Our wish is that we could bring my sister back home."
Vietnam's foreignministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang thanked Egyptians who were caring for thesurvivors. "Vietnam is very angry and strongly condemns the terrorist actthat killed and injured many innocent Vietnamese and has asked Egypt to soonopen an investigation, chase and give harsh punishment to those who carried outthese terrorist act," she said in a statement.
HH the Amir ofKuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable to EgyptianPresident Abdelfattah Al-Sisi to express strong denunciation of the bomb attackon the tourist bus. The attack is morally despicable and runs counter to allreligious and humanitarian values as it targeted innocent civilians and leftscores of casualties, he stressed. HH the Amir reaffirmed Kuwait's firm supportto the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt in whatever measures it might take toprotect its security and stability. He expressed sincere condolences to thefamilies of the victims and wished the injured quick recovery.
HH the CrownPrince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HH the Prime Minister SheikhJaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cables to the Egyptian leader.An official of the Kuwaiti foreign ministry said Kuwait denounces in strongterms the bomb attack on the tourist bus. Such terrorist attacks that targetcivilians and put in peril the safety of innocent people highlight the need ofdoubling international efforts to combat terrorism, the official said.
There was noimmediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, the first attack to targettourists since 2017. Friday's attack was the latest blow to Egypt's vitaltourism industry, which has been reeling from turmoil set off by the 2011uprising that forced veteran president Hosni Mubarak from power. While tourismhas picked up since 2011, the 8.2 million people who visited Egypt in 2017 arestill a far cry from the 14.7 million who visited in the year before theuprising.
"Yesterday'sattack undermines the Egyptian government's very determined message that thecountry is safe for tourists," said Zack Gold, a US-based expert on MiddleEast security issues. Egypt has been seeking to lure tourists back by toutingnew archaeological discoveries and bolstering security around archaeologicalsites and in airports. It is also planning to open a major museum near the Gizapyramids - the only surviving structures of the seven wonders of the ancientworld.
In July 2017, twoGerman tourists were stabbed to death by a suspected militant at the Red Searesort of Hurghada. In Oct 2015, a bomb claimed by a local affiliate of theIslamic State group killed 224 people on board a passenger jet carrying Russiantourists home from the Sinai Peninsula. Before Friday's bombing, securityforces were already on high alert ahead of New Year celebrations and the CopticChristmas on Jan 7.
Pope Francis saidhe was "deeply saddened" by the attack on holidaymakers, in atelegram to the Egyptian presidency which was signed by his number two PietroParolin. "In deploring this senseless and brutal act, he prays for the victimsand their families, for the injured and for the emergency personnel whogenerously came to their aid," the telegram said. A spokesman forBritain's Thomas Cook travel group said it had cancelled day trips to Cairofrom Hurghada following the attack and it would continue to review the securitysituation.
The blast and thesubsequent police raids come as Egypt battles a persistent insurgency in theNorth Sinai, which surged after the 2013 overthrow by the army of Mubarak'sIslamist successor Mohamed Morsi. Militants linked to the Islamic State grouphave claimed responsibility for previous attacks, including against Egypt'sCoptic Christian minority who make up about 10 percent of the population. Thearmy launched a large-scale operation dubbed "Sinai 2018" in Februaryto rid the Sinai of militants after an attack on a mosque in the north of thepeninsula killed more than 300 people. The army says that hundreds of suspectedjihadists have been killed since the campaign was launched. - Agencies