Jihad in Egypt: Bomb Hits Tourist Bus Near Pyramids, Wounds 17

Tourists and tourism is a prime target of Islamic jihadists. It strikes at the heart of the fun-loving West while striking a blow to the country whose economy counts on it. “In Egypt, the main attractions are artifacts of the nation’s pre-Islamic civilization, and as far as they are concerned, that is jahiliyyah, the society of unbelievers, and thus worthless trash worthy of no respect,” wrote Robert Spencer.

Bomb hits tourist bus near Egypt’s Giza Pyramids, wounds 17

By Samy Magdy, AP, May 19, 2019

CAIRO (AP) — A roadside bomb hit a tourist bus on Sunday near the Giza Pyramids, wounding at least 17 people including tourists, Egyptian officials said.

The officials said the bus was travelling on a road close to the under-construction Grand Egyptian Museum, which is located adjacent to the Giza Pyramids but is not yet open to tourists.

The bus was carrying at least 25 people mostly from South Africa, officials added.

Security forces cordoned off the site of the explosion and the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital, they said.

They said the explosion damaged a windshield of another car. Footage circulated online shows shattered windows of the bus.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief media.

Egypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilled over to the mainland, hitting minority Christians or tourists.

The attack comes as Egypt’s vital tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after years in the doldrums because of the political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.

It is the second to target foreign tourists near the famed pyramids in less than six months. In December, a bus carrying 15 Vietnamese tourists was hit by a roadside bomb, killing at least three of them.