A car bomb exploded in North Sinai’s Al-Arish close to a hotel where judges supervising parliamentary elections are residing, has killed four people and injuring 14 others, the military and Egyptian state TV said.
Four people were killed in the blast and 14 injured. “One judge was among those killed and two civilians are among the injured. They were treated in Al-Arish public hospital, while 12 were transferred to a nearby military hospital,” according to Khaled Megahed, the health ministry spokesperson.
The military later said in a statement that the attack killed a total of two police conscripts and a judge and injured 12 others, including security forces and civilians.
A suicide bomber was driving a car bomb into the hotel when security forces opened fire on him, causing the car to explode and the bomber to die, the army said in a statement.
According to the statement, another attacker wearing an explosive belt snuck into the hotel’s kitchen and blew himself up, while another gunman went up to one of the hotel rooms and opened fire, killing a judge.
“This brutal incident is a failed, desperate attempt to hinder the state,” a statement by an army spokesman read. “We emphasize that [this incident] will strengthen the persistence and determination of police and the armed forces to root out terrorism in North Sinai.”
Ambulances rushed to the scene and gunshots could be heard following the explosion. State TV said all those injured are civilians. A main coastal highway in the city has been shut down following the attack.
Egypt has been fighting an Islamist militant insurgency in North Sinai for years, which spiked in 2013 following president Mohamed Morsi’s ouster.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in North Sinai, parts of which are experiencing a mounting Islamist militancy over the past two years.
Parliamentary elections for the second stage took place Sunday and Monday. Judges are now in the process of counting the votes. Run-offs are due on December 1 and 2.
Source: Ahram Online
