EmergencyNet News *FLASH* Report
11/17/97 - 07:30CST
Militants Attack Tourists in Egypt
by C. L. Staten, ERRI Senior Analyst
Luxor, Eqypt (EmergencyNet News) Conflicting reports continue to
be received about the number of dead and injured in a terrorist
bus hijacking and firefight that took place today in Southern
Egypt. The incident took place at the Deir al-Bahri temple, also
known as Hatshepsut, in the Valley of the Kings on the west bank
of the Nile. The popular archeological site is located 300 miles
(500 km) south of Cairo.
While the official casualty figures remain uncertain, authorities
said the drama began with the six gunmen hijacking a tour bus in
Luxor, a stronghold for Islamic militants opposed to the
government. An unknown number of tourists, possibly as many as 60
(according to the Reuters News Service at 7:53 AM EST) from
Japan, France, and Switzerland, 3 Egyptian policemen, and 6
terrorists were reportedly wounded or killed in an exchange of
gunfire between suspected Moslem militants and Egyptian security
forces.
The identity of the attackers and motive for the attack has not
been ascertained at the time of this report, nor has any group
claimed responsibility for this latest atrocity. Egyptian police
simply described the attackers as "militants," a term
often used to describe Moslem fundamentalists opposed to the
current government in Egypt.
Attacks by Moslem militants have killed at least 34 international
tourists in the past five years. Overall about 1,100 people have
been killed since 1992, when extremists launched a campaign aimed
at ousting President Hosni Mubarak.
Emergencynet News continues to monitor events in Eqypt and will
provide additional reports as circumstances warrant.
(C) EmergencyNet News Service, 1997. All rights reserved.
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