At least 23 dead in Egypt explosions

Foreigners among victims
Police said one Russian and one Swiss were among the dead; el-Adly would not confirm those nationalities.

Terrorist attacks have killed nearly 100 people at several tourist resorts in the Sinai Peninsula in the past two years.

Bombings in the resorts of Taba and Ras Shitan, near the Israeli border, killed 34 people in October 2004. Suicide attackers in July in the resort of Sharm el-Sheik killed at least 64 people, mainly tourists.

Al-Qaida operation?
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.

Officials there have not ruled out al-Qaida involvement, but have no evidence showing that is the case, the official said. Nor do they have any evidence that bin Laden’s tape was linked to the attack.

Bruce Hoffman, a RAND terrorism expert, agreed in a telephone interview from Washington. “It’s an extraordinarily short turnaround — it’s impossible to say at this point.”

Hoffman said Egypt was one of the most proficient Middle Eastern countries in dealing with terrorist groups, so this attack showed “how adept and innovative these groups are.

“It may be that the Sinai Peninsula is (Egypt’s) Achilles Heel. They’ve gone up and down the coast and hit the main tourist resorts,” Hoffman said.

In his taped warning Sunday, bin Laden accused the United States and Europe of supporting a “Zionist” war on Islam by cutting off funds to the Hamas-led Palestinian government.

Hamas condemns ‘criminal’ attack
Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the Hamas-run Palestinian Cabinet, condemned Monday’s bombings as a “criminal attack which is against all human values. We denounce the attack, which harmed the Egyptian national security.”

By contrast, Hamas had refused to condemn last week’s bombing that killed nine people in an Israeli fast-food restaurant.

After Monday’s attack, Egyptian television footage showed body parts scattered on the streets, bloodstained pavement and destroyed shops littered with broken glass.

Jamie Gibbs, a Briton, told Sky News that the streets of Dahab were chaotic after the bombings so he and a friend walked back to their rooms along the beach.

“We met a couple of Egyptians we know, and one was crying. He had lost one of his friends — he died,” Gibbs said. “And everyone is very upset because of their livelihoods. If the tourists stop coming they’re going to be poorer than they already are.”

MORE FROM MIDEAST & N. AFRICA

Mideast & N. Africa Section Front

Palestinians to seek endorsement of statehood Bingo’s comeback erases divisions in Baghdad Iraqi Sunni Arab VP threatens to veto election law Iran cracks down on online opposition Reports: Iran ex-deputy minister jailed in Israel Iran's first lady makes rare speech at Rome summit Mideast & N. Africa Section Front   Add Mideast & N. Africa headlines to your news reader: