CAIRO, Egypt – Three nearly simultaneous bombings hit an Egyptian beach resort popular with foreigners Monday at the height of the tourist season, killing at least 23 people.
The bombers struck the Sinai seaside city of Dahab in the early evening along a crowded promenade of shops, restaurants and bars. Interior Minister Habib el-Adly said those killed included 20 Egyptians and three foreigners. Sixty-two people were wounded, including three Americans, according to the Interior Ministry.
The explosions were the third terror strike on a Sinai resort in less than two years.
A witness said the Al Capone restaurant, one of the area’s most popular spots, was destroyed.
“The tables and chairs have gone, there is nothing left,” said Joseph Nazir, who owns a safari company in Dahab. “Everybody is panicking, a lot of people are crying. We will be affected by this for a long, long time.”
Hotels and guesthouses were filled with foreigners and Egyptians celebrating the long Coptic Christian Easter weekend that coincided this year with Shem al-Nessim, an ancient holiday marking the first day of spring.
The Egyptian government has said the militants who carried out the bombings were locals without international connections, but other security agencies have said they suspect al-Qaida.
In Washington, a U.S. counterterrorism official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in compliance with office policy, said it was unclear who was behind Monday’s attack. Authorities there have not ruled out al-Qaida involvement, but have no evidence showing that is the case, the official said.
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