The killing of a French tourist on Saturday in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh was a “random act” and not directed against foreigners, Egyptian Minister of Tourism Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour declared in a Sunday press statement.
Abdel-Nour pointed to the fact that two Egyptian nationals were also injured in the incident as proof that the assailants had not specifically targeted tourists.
The minister went on to express “sorrow and regret” for the death of the French tourist and the injury of a German tourist in an attack on a currency exchange office in Sharm.
He said the ministry had set up an “operations room” in the wake of the incident and had immediately informed the French and German embassies of the attack. Ministry and embassy officials also discussed arrangements for the repatriation of the French tourist’s body and medical treatment for the injured German tourist, said Abdel-Nour.
“Security forces have spared no effort to find and arrest the four criminals responsible,” the minister stated.
The Frenchman was reportedly killed when armed attackers raided a currency exchange office, according to security sources and French embassy officials.
South Sinai Governor General Khaled Fouda told Reuters that a German national also wounded in the attack was currently receiving treatment in hospital where he was in stable condition.
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