CAIRO – An attack involving a suicide vehicle bombing and claimed by the Islamic State group targeted a hotel in Egypt’s restive northern Sinai region Tuesday, killing seven people, the state MENA news agency said.
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In response, the authorities have imposed a nationwide state of emergency and a nightly curfew in the capital.
It was the third major attack in Tunisia this year, after an Islamist militant killed 38 foreigners at a beach hotel in the resort of Sousse in June, and gunmen killed 21 tourists at the Bardo Museum in Tunis in March.
An Interior Ministry statement said 12 guards died in the blast of 10kg of explosive located either in the bomber’s backpack or a belt he was wearing. It said a Tunisian suicide bomber named “Abou Abdallah al-Tounissi” carried out the attack.
Tunisia has been plagued by extremist violence since the 2011 revolution and dozens of members of the security forces have been killed. The string of attacks has greatly threatened the country’s reputation, however, not least because tourism is a key component of the economy. In a response speech, the Prime Minister, Habib Essid, said the terrorists, who remain unknown, responsible for the attacks have switched up their mode of operation.
A Tunisian national TV station Watanya says there were several victims in Tuesday’s afternoon blast, but it was not immediately clear whether there were fatalities.
A 13th body at the scene is believed to be that of the bomber, and forensics teams were gathering evidence to make an identification. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility following both attacks. Officials have said they suspect the blast was a suicide bombing.
The attack shows a different trend as well as a strong warning to the Tunisian authorities, indicating that they need to tighten security within the state in order to effectively combat the Islamic State which has recorded an influx of over 2,000 Tunisians so far. Militants are able to preach and recruit more openly than ever, yet at the same time, young Tunisians have said the freedoms and elections have done little to improve their lives.
The explosion struck a crowded bus carrying presidential guards in the commercial centre of the city, wounding at least 16 people.
ISIS released a video earlier this year threatening to ramp up its campaign against Tunisia.
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Tunisia has contributed the most foreign fighters to join Sunni militant groups such as ISIS in Syria and Iraq, according to a report published by the worldwide Center for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence this year.
