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Bombers planned to kill dozens tourists disrupted { July 25 2005 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/25/international/middleeast/25cnd-egypt.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/25/international/middleeast/25cnd-egypt.html
July 25, 2005
Egyptian Police Say Security May Have Disrupted Bombers' Plan
By MARK LANDLER
and GREG MYRE
SHARM EL SHEIK, Egypt, July 25 - Egyptian officials, giving their first detailed account of a deadly terror strike at this Red Sea resort, said today that all three bombs were suicide attacks, and suggested that they were intended to explode at two hotels and a busy nightlife strip packed with Western tourists.
But police checkpoints in this heavily guarded city appear to have prevented two bombers from reaching their desired targets in the early hours Saturday. They still managed to set off their bombs, but most of those killed were Egyptians.
Sixty-four people died in the attacks, and at least 44 were from Egypt, said the governor of southern Sinai, Mustafa Afifi.
Up to 17 foreigners were killed, most of them Europeans. One American was among the dead, according to the United States Embassy in Egypt, and news media reports identified her as Kristina Miller, 27, from Las Vegas, who was vacationing here with her British boyfriend. The nationalities of three of the dead have not been determined, though they are believed to be Egyptian, according to the governor.
"What's obvious is that they wanted to attack tourism," Mr. Afifi said at a news conference here.
The governor offered no new details on who planned the attacks, which bore a striking similarity to three coordinated bombings last October in and near Taba, a resort on the northeast corner of the Sinai peninsula.
A senior security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of policy restrictions, said police believe the bombers drove to Sharm el Sheik on remote mountain roads in two Isuzu pickup trucks. The main coastal roads leading in and out of Sharm el Sheik have numerous police checkpoints.
"The preparation and execution were local," the security official said. "But perhaps the planning had foreign elements."
The growing evidence that the attacks were aimed primarily at foreign visitors complicates the task of Egyptian officials, who worry that it could damage the country's thriving tourist trade. A machine-gun attack on European tourists in 1997 at Luxor, on the Nile River, scared away visitors for several years.
"This is international terrorism that has no religion, ethnicity, or values," Mr. Afifi declared. "They are trying to kill innocent people and ruin the livelihoods of the people here."
As the Egyptians broadened their search, police put up posters at the Sharm el Sheik airport and elsewhere of six Pakistanis who arrived in Cairo about a month ago and disappeared a few days later.
Police want to question the Pakistani men, though Egyptian security officials, including the security official in Sharm el Sheik, stressed that there was no evidence at this point that the men had come from Cairo to this resort town or that they were linked to the bombings.
While the three attacks appear to have been well planned, only one seems to have hit its target.
Police believe the first bombing, in which a small pickup truck exploded in the middle of a wide street just outside the town's Old Market, was actually intended for a nearby hotel filled with European guests.
About three to five minutes later, police said, a second bomber crashed a similar pickup truck into the lobby of his intended target, the Ghazala Gardens Hotel, and detonated his explosives, destroying much of the front of the hotel, which has 220 rooms and was fully booked, mostly with Europeans.
The last of the three explosions, about three minutes after the second blast, was detonated by a bomber on foot in a parking lot, and caused relatively few fatalities. But less than 50 yards away is a pedestrian promenade lined with bars and restaurants. It was teeming with Westerners, even around 1 a.m., because the tourists come out late after the intense heat of the day finally lets up.
The security official investigating the case said one person carried out each attack, and he was confident that all three bombers were killed. Other officials and some witnesses have said previously that they thought perhaps one or more of the bombers may have escaped. The investigator said it was possible that the three unidentified bodies could belong to the bombers.
Sharm el Sheik's extensive security measures appear to have disrupted the attacks, and probably saved lives.
In the case of the first attack at the market, police had established a checkpoint at the end of a one-way street, effectively blocking the bomber's path to the nearby Iberotel, which they believe was his destination. These so-called ambush checkpoints are a permanent part of Sharm el Sheik's anti-terrorism security.
The Iberotel is similar to the Ghazala, with a lobby that is close to the road, though both have guards and fixed barriers, as is the case with virtually every hotel in town. Both hotels were packed with Western tourists.
The bomber was driving through the market on his way to the hotel and probably stopped when he saw the police checkpoint, according to the governor, Mr. Afifi. Police speculate that the bomb may have been on a timing device, set to explode when the truck reached the hotel, about 150 yards away.
Bungled or not, the attack was brutally efficient, killing and wounding dozens of Egyptians as many were drinking tea at outdoor cafés. The explosion dug a yawning crater in the road, incinerated nearby cars and buses, and showered T-shirt shops and souvenir stands with shattered glass. Relatively few Westerners were in these shops at the time.
The third attack could have been just as devastating. The bomber, who was apparently carrying his explosives in a bag or strapped to his waist, was walking in the direction of the promenade, which features a long row of cafes and restaurants, including several American chains - the Hard Rock Café, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, and McDonald's.
"Our place was full, mostly with foreigners," said Ayman Naseem, the marketing manager of the Hard Rock Café.
Mr. Naseem said police guarded the entrance to the promenade that night as always. He speculated that the bomber might have been spooked as he approached and detoured into the parking lot.
It is not clear why the bomb exploded there. Mr. Afifi, the governor, said he believed the bomber died, and that police had found scraps of fabric, possibly from the bag he was carrying.
Mr. Naseem did not hear the first bomb explode in the market because, he said, "our music was pretty loud." But after hearing the second one, at the Ghazala Gardens Hotel, he stepped outside to check. Within three minutes, he was deafened by an explosion in the parking lot, less than 200 yards away.
Police drew several parallels between this attack and that in Taba: the execution, equipment, and the types of explosives used. The security official would not describe the bombs, except to say that the explosive material was "locally made, large in quantity, but amateurish."
This has focused suspicion on Bedouins who live in the Sinai desert. They are also suspected of involvement in the Taba bombings. Police have detained several dozen Bedouin for questioning, though many have been released and authorities have not linked any of them to the attacks.
Sharm el Sheik, meantime, is doing its best to return to normal, cleaning up the bombing sites and reassuring visitors that the city is secure. The police presence was already considerable before the bombings. Most hotels have multiple guards and metal detectors at the front entrance, and barriers that keep cars from approaching the buildings.
Several hotels now have placards that say, "We are against terrorism."
Prominent local investors are trooping out to declare their confidence in the resort's future. To demonstrate solidarity with their workers, the city's hotels have pledged not to dismiss a single employee, even if their bookings are severely depressed by the attacks.
"We have earned a lot of profits over the last few years, and now it's our turn," said Hussein Salem, an investor who owns the sprawling Jolie Ville Hotel, next door to the ill-fated Ghazala Gardens.
Mona el Naggar contributed reporting for this article.
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
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