Hotel in Egypt's Sinai peninsula hit by fatal twin blasts

[muriel_volestrangler]

Two bombs have exploded outside a hotel in Egypt housing election judges, killing at least four police officers and injuring 12 people, security and medical sources have said.

The blasts in the city of al-Arish on the Sinai peninsula came a day after the second round of a parliamentary elections closed.

A suicide bomber tried to drive a car bomb into the hotel before security forces opened fire on him, causing the car to explode, security sources said. At least two judges were among the injured, authorities added.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/24/egypt-hotel-hit-by-fatal-blasts-reports

[bemildred]

1. 4 people, including judge, killed in Sinai attacks

Four people, including a judge, were killed in two bombings that targeted a hotel in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, according to the Interior Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry said a suicide bomber had attempted to drive an explosive-laden car into a hotel housing a number of judges -- tasked with overseeing Egypt’s just-concluded parliamentary polls -- in the North Sinai city of Arish.

According to the ministry statement, security forces opened fire on the car causing it to explode.

Another suicide attacker blew himself up after being prevented by security guards from entering the hotel, the ministry added.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/22444-4-people-including-judge-killed-in-sinai-attacks

[bemildred]

2. IS militants claim hotel attack that killed seven in Egypt's Sinai

Islamic State's Egyptian branch claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed at least seven people in a hotel in North Sinai on Tuesday where judges overseeing a parliamentary election were staying.

A militant tried to drive a car bomb into the hotel in the provincial capital al-Arish before security forces opened fire, causing the car to explode, the military and a witness said.

A suicide bomber broke into the hotel restaurant and blew himself up and a gunman entered the guest rooms area and killed a judge, they said. Seventeen people were wounded, the Health Ministry said.

"A brother ... seeking martyrdom hit with his car bomb the security force protecting the Swiss (Inn) hotel where 50 judges were staying, only to be followed by a lion ... who broke into the judges' base with his automatic weapon ... then blew up his explosive belt among them," Sinai Province said in a statement circulated by its followers on Twitter.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/24/us-egypt-bomb-idUSKBN0TD0BC20151124

[bemildred]

3. ISIL claims hotel attack killing seven in Egypt’s Sinai

A brazen attack involving a suicide car bombing and claimed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group targeted a hotel in Egypt's restive northern Sinai region on Tuesday, killing seven people including two judges, the state MENA news agency said.

The attack on the Swiss Inn hotel in the coastal city of El-Arish was the latest violence convulsing the troubled peninsula, where Egyptian troops are struggling to put down an insurgency. ISIL's Sinai-based affiliate quickly claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack.

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MENA's report said that four policemen and a civilian were also among the seven killed, and that at least 10 people were wounded. The agency cited an unnamed security official as it often does.

MENA gave a higher death toll than the casualty tolls provided by the military and police in statements issued earlier in the day. The military said 12 people were wounded in the attack. It wasn’t immediately clear why the army didn’t update its tolls later Tuesday.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/11/24/isil-fighters-hit-hotel-in-egypts-sinai.html