Murder of Two German Tourists and Five Police Officers in Two Separate Attacks in Egypt

Armed men attacked a police checkpoint in an area south of Cairo on Friday, shooting dead five police officers. Simultaneously, two German tourists were killed in a knife attack in the city of Hurghada. According to Reuters, three armed men on motorcycles opened fire on police officers in Giza, located 30 kilometers south of Cairo, killing two officers and three conscripts. This is the latest incident of attacks on Egyptian security forces engaged in combat with Islamist militants. The Egyptian Ministry of Interior stated that 'a police officer near the site of the clash opened fire on the attackers, forcing them to flee.' Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants first shot at the police vehicle with automatic weapons and then set the vehicle on fire with incendiary bombs after collecting equipment and weapons. No group has claimed responsibility for this attack, but Egyptian security forces have long been engaged in a struggle against groups affiliated with the Islamic State in the Sinai region, and these armed clashes have spread to other parts of the country. On Friday, in another incident, two foreign female tourists were killed and four others injured in a knife attack in the coastal city of Hurghada on the Red Sea. The Egyptian Ministry of Interior announced that the identity of the attacker is unknown. According to local officials, the assailant initially accessed the private beach of the Al-Dahabiya hotel from a public part of the Hurghada beach, where he managed to kill two tourists and injure two others. The attacker then entered the private beach of the El-Plasido hotel, injuring two more individuals. The two tourists who lost their lives in this attack were German nationals, and two of the injured were Czech citizens, but no reports have been received regarding the nationality of the other two injured individuals. The Hurghada area had previously witnessed an attack on foreign tourists in January 2016. Last week, at least 23 soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing at a security checkpoint in Egypt. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for this attack, which has been described as one of the deadliest assaults on Egyptian armed forces in recent years. Reuters recalls that since 2013, hundreds of military and police officers have been killed in clashes in the Sinai region. The Islamic State has intensified its attacks in other parts of Egypt, often targeting Coptic Christians. Since December, around one hundred Coptic Christians have been killed in such attacks. For instance, in early June, armed men attacked a bus carrying Copts, killing 29 people. A month prior, over 40 individuals were killed in two bombings at churches of this religious minority. Church-affiliated sources announced on Thursday that leaders of these religious minorities have informed Coptic and Catholic churches in Egypt to cancel all ceremonies and activities held outside church buildings during July due to the risk of armed attacks.