VZCZCXYZ0019
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #2437 1142157
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 242157Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7642
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS CAIRO 002437 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR S-SO, S/CMS, S/CT, DS, NEA/ELA, AND CA/OCS 
NSC STAFF FOR SINGH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER ASEC CASC EG
SUBJECT: TERRORIST BOMBINGS IN DAHAB, SINAI KILL AT LEAST 
TEN, AT LEAST FOUR AMCITS WOUNDED 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified.  Please Protect Accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) At around 1915 local time April 24, three bombs 
exploded in the Sinai resort town of Dahab, approximately 80 
KM north of Sharm el-Sheikh.  An Egyptian Ministry of 
Interior statement released approximately 2100 local put the 
total number of dead at 10 and 70 injured.  This number is 
probably low and seems likely to rise.  International media 
are running with the figure of 29 dead and 160 injured.  An 
American citizen reached by the Embassy in Dahab hospital 
confirmed she had counted ten bodies in the hospital's 
morgue. 
 
¶2. (SBU) An Embassy emergency task force was convened within 
90 minutes of the first reports and has reached Amcits 
vacationing in Dahab.  So far, consular officers are aware of 
four injured Amcits - all are receiving medical treatment. 
Both Egyptians and foreigners are reportedly among the dead. 
The injured reportedly include Egyptians, at least four 
Americans, as well as Germans, Italians, French, Danes, 
Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The bombs took place at three separate sites in 
Dahab - the Al Capone restaurant, the "wooden bridge" and the 
Mashrabiya Market Place - all locations frequented by foreign 
tourists.  Egyptian TV is reporting that the bombs were 
detonated remotely - not delivered by suicide bombers. 
 
¶4. (SBU) So far there have been no reported claims of 
responsibility.  In mid-April, a State Security Prosecutor 
told the media it had identified an organization known as 
"Tawheed wa Jihad" (Unification and Holy War) as the group 
responsible for the July 2005 Sharm el-Sheikh bombings and 
asserted that all members of this group were in custody.   On 
April 19, the GOE announced it had arrested 22 members of 
another group "The Victorious Sect" that was planning to 
commit acts of terror. 
 
¶5. (SBU) We note that this is the third major terrorist 
incident in Sinai in the past year and a half and the third 
to occur during a national holiday period - the attacks at 
Taba and Nuweiba in 2004 occurred during the October 6 
hoilday weekend, commemorating the 1973 war.   The Sharm 
el-Sheikh bombings occurred on July 23, 2005 - the 
anniversary of the foundation of the Republic, and the April 
24 attacks fell on the Egyptian cultural holiday Shem 
an-Nassim and the day before "Sinai Evacuation Day" - the 
anniversary of the restoration of Egyptian sovereignty over 
the Sinai after Israel's withdrawal. 
 
RICCIARDONE