Checkpoints Are Thought to Have Hastened 2 Egypt Blasts
July 26, 2005 Checkpoints Are Thought to Have Hastened 2 Egypt Blasts By MARK LANDLER and GREG MYRE SHARM EL SHEIK, Egypt, July 25 - Egyptian officials, giving their first detailed account of a deadly terrorist strike at this Red Sea resort, said Monday that all three explosions were suicide bombings and suggested that police checkpoints may have forced two of the bombers to set off their explosives early, before reaching targets packed with Western tourists. As a result, most of the victims of the bombings on Saturday were Egyptians. Of the 64 people who were killed, and at least 44 were from Egypt, said the governor of southern Sinai, Mustafa Afifi. As many as 17 foreigners were killed, most of them Europeans. One American was among the dead, according to the United States Embassy in Egypt, and news reports identified her as Kristina Miller, 27, of 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, the governor said. "What's obvious is that they wanted to attack tourism," Mr. Afifi said at a news conference here. A senior security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of policy restrictions, said the police believed that the bombers drove to Sharm el Sheik on remote mountain roads in two Isuzu pickup trucks. The main coastal roads in and out of Sharm el Sheik have many police checkpoints. "The preparation and execution were local," the security official said. "But perhaps the planning had foreign elements." The growing evidence that the bombings were aimed primarily at foreign visitors complicates the task of Egyptian officials, who worry about damage to the country's thriving tourist trade. A machine-gun attack on European tourists in 1997 at Luxor, on the Nile River, killed 62 people and scared away visitors for several years. "This is international terrorism that has no religion, ethnicity or values," Mr. Afifi said. "They are trying to kill innocent people and ruin the livelihoods of the people here." As the Egyptians broadened their search, the police circulated photographs at the Sharm el Sheik airport and elsewhere of five Pakistani men who arrived in Cairo about a month ago and disappeared a few days later. The police want to question the men, though Egyptian security officials, including the security official in Sharm el Sheik, emphasized that there was no evidence that the men had come here from Cairo or that they were linked to the bombings. While the three bombings appear to have been well planned, only one seems to have hit its target. The police contend that the first bombing, in which a small pickup truck exploded in the middle of a wide street outside the Old Market, was actually intended for a nearby hotel filled with European guests. Three to five minutes later, 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 building, which 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 killed relatively few people. But less than 50 yards away is a pedestrian promenade lined with bars and restaurants. It was teeming with Westerners when the blast occurred around 1 a.m., because tourists come out late after the intense heat of the day lessens. The security official investigating the case said one person carried out each bombing, and he expressed confidence that all three bombers had been killed. He also said he thought they were Egyptian. Other officials and some witnesses have previously said they thought that one or more of the bombers may have escaped. The investigator said it was possible that the three unidentified bodies could be those of the bombers. In the case of the bombing at the market, the police had established a checkpoint at the end of a one-way street, effectively blocking the bomber's path to the nearby Iberotel hotel, which they said they believed had been his destination. These so-called ambush checkpoints are a permanent part of Sharm el Sheik's antiterrorism security. The Iberotel is similar to the Ghazala Gardens, with a lobby close to the road, though each hotel has guards and fixed barriers, as is the case with virtually every hotel in town. The Iberotel and the Ghazala were packed with Western tourists. The bomber was driving through the market en route to the hotel and probably stopped when he saw the police checkpoint, Mr. Afifi said. The 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 bombing was brutally efficient, killing and wounding dozens of Egyptians. The explosion blew a huge crater in the road, incinerated nearby cars and buses, and showered souvenir stands with shattered glass. The third bombing 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 the Hard Rock Cafe, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut. "Our place was full, mostly with foreigners," said Ayman Naseem, the marketing manager of the Hard Rock Cafe. Mr. Naseem said police officers 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 that the bomber died and that the police had found scraps of fabric, possibly from the bag the bomber had been 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. Within three minutes, he was deafened by an explosion in the parking lot, less than 200 yards away. The police drew parallels between this attack and to three coordinated bombings last October in and near Taba, a resort on the Sinai Peninsula. They cited the execution, equipment and the types of explosives used. The security official would not describe the Sharm el Sheik bombs expect to say the explosive material was "locally made, large in quantity, but amateurish." This has focused suspicion on Bedouins who live in the Sinai Desert, who are also under suspicion in the Taba bombings. The police have detained several dozen Bedouins for questioning in the bombings here, though many have been released and authorities have not linked any of them to the attack. Sharm el Sheik is doing its best to return to normal, cleaning up the bombing sites and reassuring visitors that the city is secure. Prominent local investors are declaring 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 the bombings severely depress bookings. Mona el-Naggar contributed reporting for this article. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/26/international/africa/26egypt.html?pagewant ed=print ----------------------------------------------------------- FAIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to these copyrighted items are reserved. 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