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March 27, 2006
Egypt: Islamist Bomb Suspects Charged
News from AKI, from Reuters and Asarq Alawasat reports that 13 people have been charged yesterday in conection with the terror blasts which happened at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on 23 July last year. 64 people, mostly tourists, were killed and 170 were injured when a series of bombs hit a market and two hotels.
The July blasts were the last of a series of bombings at SInai resorts which were carried out by the Islamist group Tawhid and Jihad. Though Israel has suggested al-Qaeda had been involved in the attacks, the Egyptian government has claimed those involved were local militants with no international links.
Prosecutor Hisham Badawi said those charged with bombings "formed a terrorist organization ... which carried out the explosions."
The 13 individuals are charged with bombs which took place on July 23, 2005, and also bombings from October 2004, in which 34 people were killed at resorts of Taba and Ras Shitan, close to the Israeli border.
Two individuals have been on trial since July 2, but yesterday the 13 new individuals were brought to the court in Ismailiya. These had been arrested shortly after the Sharm el-Sheikh attacks.
Tawhid and Jihad (Monotheism and Holy War) has released a statement, claiming the bombings were carried out at the behest of Osama bin Laden, adding to the confusion surrounding the case.
In November last year, we reported that a Bedouin leader, Salem Khadr al-Shnub, who is believed to have been the "bombmaker" in the attacks, was shot dead in the SInai peninsula.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at March 27, 2006 7:31 AM
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