A hotel where judges supervising Egypt’s latest parliamentary elections had been staying has been struck by a auto bomb reportedly killing at least four people and injuring 12. In the meantime, two militants slipped inside the hotel.
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Security sources and Egypt’s state TV initially said a auto bomb exploded then a second blast hit the within 10 minutes, Reuters reports. At least two judges were among the injured, authorities added. One detonated an explosives vest in the hotel’s kitchen, while the second opened fire in a hotel room.
A judge, two police officers and a bystander died, as did all three attackers.
The Sinai Province group is based in the restive area and regularly targets police and military installations.
The Sinai branch of the extremist Islamic State group quickly claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted by sympathizers on social media accounts.
Elections across the country are normally supervised by judges, and several have been deployed to North Sinai to monitor the balloting process.
They have also claimed responsibility for bombing a Russian passenger plane after it left the south Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on October 31, killing all 224 people on board.
The hotel had been housing 50 judges who had participated in the supervision of Egypt’s parliamentary elections.
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Since the ouster of elected President Mohamed Morsi in a 2013 military coup, the northern Sinai Peninsula has become the epicenter of a deadly insurgency against Egyptian security personnel.
