Militants in Egypt Hit New Target: S. Korean Tourists

Bus carrying foreigners bombed near Israel border, killing 4
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 17, 2014 1:22 PM CST
Militants in Egypt Hit New Target: S. Korean Tourists
An Egyptian policeman inspects the damaged bus after the deadly explosion Sunday near the Egyptian border crossing with Israel in Taba, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 17, 2014.   (AP Photo/Nameer Galal)

An explosion on a bus carrying South Korean tourists in Egypt yesterday left three South Koreans and the Egyptian driver dead, al Jazeera reports. At least 13 others were wounded in the attack on the bus, whose riders, a South Korean church group, had visited a Greek Orthodox monastery in the Sinai Peninsula, CNN reports. The explosion occurred in Taba, an Egyptian resort town, while the bus was parked some 200 yards away from the border with Israel, the Washington Post reports.

The suicide bombing is the first attack against foreigners in the Sinai in about 10 years, reports AP. The Post sees it as part of Islamist militants' stepped-up efforts against Egypt's government. "This is more of a challenge to the government and the state’s authority than there ever was before," says Kamal Habib of Islamic Jihad, a group that has renounced violence after earlier involvement. Now, Habib says, militants may be targeting the government through attacks on the struggling tourism sector. (More South Korea stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X