CNN) – Two German women were killed in a knife attack in the Egyptian Red Sea town of Hurghada, Germany’s Foreign Ministry confirmed today (July 15).
The women were among six female tourists attacked yesterday by an assailant with a knife in a beach resort area of the town, Egypt’s Interior Ministry said.
“Sadly we now have certainty that two German tourists were killed in the attack in Hurghada,” a press officer for the German Foreign Ministry told CNN.
“In these dark hours, our condolences go out to their families and friends. Staff at the German Embassy in Cairo are on the ground in Hurghada and in contact with the Egyptian authorities.”
The attacker had targeted foreign tourists, the press officer said. “After everything we know, this act was supposed to hit foreign tourists – a particularly devious and criminal act that leaves us sad and appalled.”
Four other tourists were injured in the attack, Egyptian state-run news agency Al-Ahram reported.
A suspect has been arrested, and the victims were taken to a hospital, Egypt’s Interior Ministry said.
Investigators believe the attacker swam from a public beach, according to the ministry.
No names were released, and no details were available about the condition of the injured victims. The motive for the attack is not yet known.
2016 attack in same town
Yesterday’s attack came 18 months after a similar attack in the same town. In January 2016, two men injured at least three European tourists in a stabbing at a hotel, authorities said then.
Hurghada is situated along eastern Egypt’s Red Sea coast, about 250 miles southeast of Cairo. It is a popular destination for scuba diving and other watersports.
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Top: Some of Egypt’s best seaside locations are found in the eastern part of the country and southern Sinai with Hurghada being a key destination. Photo: www.egypt.travel/
SOURCE: CNN written by Laura Smith-Spark and Jason Hanna with Deborah Bloom contributing to this report.
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