On Friday, the 8th of January, a terrorist attack targeted the Bella Vista Hotel in the Egyptian beach resort town of Hurghada. Two militants armed with pellet guns, knives, and a suicide device stabbed and injured 3 tourists. Security forces immediately opened fire against the militants, instantly killing one and leaving the other injured. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

Egypt’s Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou condemned the attack, and adopted additional security measures to protect tourists throughout Egypt. Despite the added measures, ISIS mounted another attack the following day in Cairo that killed 2 policemen.Violence in Egypt has increased over the past three years, especially against Egyptian security forces. In 2013, the military suspended Egypt’s constitution, overthrew then-President Mohammad Morsi, and selected military leader Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi as president amidst democratic elections. As a result, jihadist insurgency groups were angered by the military’s actions and retaliated with numerous suicide bombings targeting security force personnel. The country’s growing threat of terrorist attacks has prompted Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi to imprison thousands of suspected extremists and pledged to fight against radicalism since the start of his presidency.  

To read more, visit:

http://egyptianstreets.com/2016/01/10/what-the-media-didnt-report-about-the-terrorist-attack-at-egypts-hurghada/
https://www.ijreview.com/2016/01/511432-isis-militants-brutally-attack-tourists-at-popular-resort-in-egypt/
http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/isis/egypt-isis/1.687128
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-security-idUSKBN0UM26S20160108
http://www.theafricareport.com/North-Africa/tourism-egypt-to-increase-security-measures-after-red-sea-resort-attack.html