Tourists injured in attack on Red Sea hotel

Stock photo

Resort of Hurgada seen from the air

AT LEAST three tourists were injured on Friday (January 8) when armed men, one reported to have been wearing a suicide belt, stormed a hotel on the Red Sea in Egypt.

Egyptian police and the country’s Ministry of the Interior however stated that the men were only carrying knives and a fake gun.

Local press in Hurghada, a popular resort for tourists, reported that two men attacked the Bella Vista hotel with security sources consulted by Reuters claiming they arrived by boat and entered the hotel via the restaurant.

There are contradictory reports on those injured in the attack, with a government spokesman stating that two Swedish tourists and one Austrian had received knife wounds and were taken to local hospitals, while local police sources identified the victims as two Austrians and one Dane.

Although the authorities reported that one attacker was gunned down and the other injured while attempting to escape, the area remains on alert and searches are underway for further possible attackers.

The British Embassy In Cairo tweeted: “We are aware of an incident in #Hurghada and are investigating urgently.

“Brits in need of assistance should call +20227916000.”

At the time of writing no group has officially claimed responsibility for the attack, although over the last couple of years radical Islamic group activity has been rife in Egypt. Daesh has however claimed responsibility for an attack on Thursday (January 7) against a group of Israeli tourists in El Cairo.

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