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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/sep/14/egyptian-forces-kill-tourists-and-guides-while-chasing-terrorist-elements
The article has changed 18 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
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| Egyptian authorities claim tourist convoy was in area 'illegally' – rolling report | Egyptian authorities claim tourist convoy was in area 'illegally' – rolling report |
| (17 days later) | |
| 12.09pm BST | 12.09pm BST |
| 12:09 | 12:09 |
| We’re going to wind up this blog for now. Thanks for reading. | We’re going to wind up this blog for now. Thanks for reading. |
| 11.00am BST | 11.00am BST |
| 11:00 | 11:00 |
| Some of the tourists caught up in the attack were Spanish nationals, according to unverified reports quoting the the wounded driver of the group. | Some of the tourists caught up in the attack were Spanish nationals, according to unverified reports quoting the the wounded driver of the group. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.09pm BST | at 12.09pm BST |
| 10.26am BST | 10.26am BST |
| 10:26 | 10:26 |
| Orla Guerin, the BBC’s correspondent in Cairo, says local guides have told her colleagues that the area where the tourists was attacked was not off limits. | Orla Guerin, the BBC’s correspondent in Cairo, says local guides have told her colleagues that the area where the tourists was attacked was not off limits. |
| Local tour guide tells BBC that the Mexican tourists killed by Egypt's security forces were not in a restricted area | Local tour guide tells BBC that the Mexican tourists killed by Egypt's security forces were not in a restricted area |
| 10.19am BST | 10.19am BST |
| 10:19 | 10:19 |
| Hugh Miles | Hugh Miles |
| Hugh Miles, in Cairo, has spoken to an Egyptian tour guide who often travels to the Bahariya region, who told him some of the procedures that tour operators have to follow when taking foreigners there. | Hugh Miles, in Cairo, has spoken to an Egyptian tour guide who often travels to the Bahariya region, who told him some of the procedures that tour operators have to follow when taking foreigners there. |
| The tour guide says that groups generally don’t need permission to travel the road through the area, but must consult officials before straying into the desert. I have bolded a couple of sections that seem especially relevant: | The tour guide says that groups generally don’t need permission to travel the road through the area, but must consult officials before straying into the desert. I have bolded a couple of sections that seem especially relevant: |
| They needed permission to be there as the rule is now, set about six months ago, in order to leave the road generally you need permission for this Abu Mahara [as heard] dune or the other dunes on the north of the road, Al Ghorabi dunes, both need permission. I have been there before, the new rule is to obtain permission. You get permission there [in Bahariya]. There is an office that belongs to the military coastguard [as heard] and usually a tourism company should go and get the official permission showing the official company papers showing they are allowed to take tourists. Then they get a permission and they know which guys you are taking and they even send a security personnel with you. | They needed permission to be there as the rule is now, set about six months ago, in order to leave the road generally you need permission for this Abu Mahara [as heard] dune or the other dunes on the north of the road, Al Ghorabi dunes, both need permission. I have been there before, the new rule is to obtain permission. You get permission there [in Bahariya]. There is an office that belongs to the military coastguard [as heard] and usually a tourism company should go and get the official permission showing the official company papers showing they are allowed to take tourists. Then they get a permission and they know which guys you are taking and they even send a security personnel with you. |
| I assume if they did not have permission like they are saying they would not have had security personnel with them. Normally you would assume they had permission and a security personnel. It is not possible they had security personnel but no permission, but what has been happening the last couple of months - and this was told to me by one of the guides on Bahariya - is that they coordinate with the military personnel there, that they have a group and they are taking them to a specific area in the white desert and the military knows they are going to this area and they just coordinate verbally, without official a permission. But they know that they are there and generally then it is not dangerous to be there. They have been doing that on a friendly basis for the last couple of months. But in this area [where attack happened] it is not possible - this was done only for the white desert. | I assume if they did not have permission like they are saying they would not have had security personnel with them. Normally you would assume they had permission and a security personnel. It is not possible they had security personnel but no permission, but what has been happening the last couple of months - and this was told to me by one of the guides on Bahariya - is that they coordinate with the military personnel there, that they have a group and they are taking them to a specific area in the white desert and the military knows they are going to this area and they just coordinate verbally, without official a permission. But they know that they are there and generally then it is not dangerous to be there. They have been doing that on a friendly basis for the last couple of months. But in this area [where attack happened] it is not possible - this was done only for the white desert. |
| Many guides work like freelancers and they don’t have companies so they get oral permission from the security personnel because they know them and they trust that they won’t take the tourists to other dangerous areas. | Many guides work like freelancers and they don’t have companies so they get oral permission from the security personnel because they know them and they trust that they won’t take the tourists to other dangerous areas. |
| 9.46am BST | 9.46am BST |
| 09:46 | 09:46 |
| Rumours have begun to circulate that the tourist group attacked by Egyptian security forces would have been travelling with a police escort. | Rumours have begun to circulate that the tourist group attacked by Egyptian security forces would have been travelling with a police escort. |
| Hugh Miles, who is reporting from Egypt, said groups of foreigners in the area would probably be accompanied by police. | Hugh Miles, who is reporting from Egypt, said groups of foreigners in the area would probably be accompanied by police. |
| Friend of Western desert victim, a hotel owner, says they had a police escort #Egypt #Farafara | Friend of Western desert victim, a hotel owner, says they had a police escort #Egypt #Farafara |
| The Mexican Safari trip had a police escort. Egypt police is taking rock bottom to a whole new depth...Shale gas depth! #EGWestDesert | The Mexican Safari trip had a police escort. Egypt police is taking rock bottom to a whole new depth...Shale gas depth! #EGWestDesert |
| 8.39am BST | 8.39am BST |
| 08:39 | 08:39 |
| Egypt’s official English-language tourism website lists the location of the attack, the Bahariya Oasis, as a popular tourist spot, despite official claims that the bus carrying the Mexican tourists was travelling without permits in a restricted area. It says: | Egypt’s official English-language tourism website lists the location of the attack, the Bahariya Oasis, as a popular tourist spot, despite official claims that the bus carrying the Mexican tourists was travelling without permits in a restricted area. It says: |
| Spanning over 2000 sq. km. the Bahariya Oasis is a lush haven set in the midst of an unforgiving desert and surrounded by black hills made of quartz. The Oasis is home to amazing ruins, such as the Temple of Alexander the Great, beautifully painted Ptolemaic tombs and very old churches. The recent discovery of the golden mummies, the pride of Bawiti Museum today, turned the oasis’ main town, into a tourist magnet, and its proximity to the Black Desert have earned Bahariya a high rank on the tourist map of Egypt. | Spanning over 2000 sq. km. the Bahariya Oasis is a lush haven set in the midst of an unforgiving desert and surrounded by black hills made of quartz. The Oasis is home to amazing ruins, such as the Temple of Alexander the Great, beautifully painted Ptolemaic tombs and very old churches. The recent discovery of the golden mummies, the pride of Bawiti Museum today, turned the oasis’ main town, into a tourist magnet, and its proximity to the Black Desert have earned Bahariya a high rank on the tourist map of Egypt. |
| Go for a short hike up to the mountains of Bahariya for an aerial view of the oasis, dunes and great sunsets. Visit ancient Egyptian and Graeco-Roman sites, such as the Tomb of Banentiu, haggle with the locals for a scarf or a rug, enjoy a moment of solitude among wildlife, or relax in the hot waters of the Bir Sigam hot spring. Your options in Bahariya are wider than you can imagine. | Go for a short hike up to the mountains of Bahariya for an aerial view of the oasis, dunes and great sunsets. Visit ancient Egyptian and Graeco-Roman sites, such as the Tomb of Banentiu, haggle with the locals for a scarf or a rug, enjoy a moment of solitude among wildlife, or relax in the hot waters of the Bir Sigam hot spring. Your options in Bahariya are wider than you can imagine. |
| Eduard Cousin, managing editor at Daily News Egypt, tweeted: | Eduard Cousin, managing editor at Daily News Egypt, tweeted: |
| Most foreigners I know in #Cairo, including myself, have made desert trips from Baheriya oasis #Egypt | Most foreigners I know in #Cairo, including myself, have made desert trips from Baheriya oasis #Egypt |
| 8.01am BST | 8.01am BST |
| 08:01 | 08:01 |
| Hi, Damien Gayle here in the Guardian’s London office. I’ll be taking over this blog, updating the latest developments as they come in from Egypt and Mexico, as well as the international reaction. | Hi, Damien Gayle here in the Guardian’s London office. I’ll be taking over this blog, updating the latest developments as they come in from Egypt and Mexico, as well as the international reaction. |
| There’s not much so far. According to Louisa Loveluck, the Telegraph’s Middle East reporter, Egyptian government officials are playing hard to get this morning. | There’s not much so far. According to Louisa Loveluck, the Telegraph’s Middle East reporter, Egyptian government officials are playing hard to get this morning. |
| It's not easy to get hold of an Egyptian government official this morning. Official statement says tourists part of an 'unlicensed safari'. | It's not easy to get hold of an Egyptian government official this morning. Official statement says tourists part of an 'unlicensed safari'. |
| 6.37am BST | 6.37am BST |
| 06:37 | 06:37 |
| Egyptian officials are continuing to emphasise that the tourist convoy was not approved to be in this part of the western desert, which is a popular tourist spot, but was hours before the site of clashes between security forces and militants linked to Islamic State. | Egyptian officials are continuing to emphasise that the tourist convoy was not approved to be in this part of the western desert, which is a popular tourist spot, but was hours before the site of clashes between security forces and militants linked to Islamic State. |
| The tour company involved “did not have permits and did not inform authorities,” Rasha Azazi, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, told The Associated Press, adding that any trips to the Farafra area are required to be cleared by officials. | The tour company involved “did not have permits and did not inform authorities,” Rasha Azazi, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, told The Associated Press, adding that any trips to the Farafra area are required to be cleared by officials. |
| “They were not supposed to be there,” she said, but could not provide further information on the circumstances of the shooting. | “They were not supposed to be there,” she said, but could not provide further information on the circumstances of the shooting. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 6.41am BST | at 6.41am BST |
| 6.26am BST | 6.26am BST |
| 06:26 | 06:26 |
| What we know so far | What we know so far |
| If you’re just joining us, here’s the latest: | If you’re just joining us, here’s the latest: |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 6.31am BST | at 6.31am BST |
| 5.58am BST | 5.58am BST |
| 05:58 | 05:58 |
| More now from the Egyptian tourism ministry, which is again claiming the tourists should not have been in the area where they were killed. | More now from the Egyptian tourism ministry, which is again claiming the tourists should not have been in the area where they were killed. |
| #Egypt tourism min says 12 Mexican tourists army shot dead were in "unapproved" Safari.Police said their actions were "illegal".Unbelievable | #Egypt tourism min says 12 Mexican tourists army shot dead were in "unapproved" Safari.Police said their actions were "illegal".Unbelievable |
| 5.00am BST | 5.00am BST |
| 05:00 | 05:00 |
| More from my colleague Jo Tuckman in Mexico: | More from my colleague Jo Tuckman in Mexico: |
| Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that the company that organised the trip said the majority of the tourists were from Chile. The paper cited an unnamed source at the company, that it also did not name, saying that the tourists were traveling between Cairo and Bahareya oasis, about 350km south. | Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that the company that organised the trip said the majority of the tourists were from Chile. The paper cited an unnamed source at the company, that it also did not name, saying that the tourists were traveling between Cairo and Bahareya oasis, about 350km south. |
| The source told the paper that the convoy stopped for something to eat with about 100km still to go in an area that is not restricted. They said that army planes then arrived and started shooting at the vehicles. “Some tried to run, but the soldiers followed them and opened fire against all of those who tried to escape,” the source was quoted as saying. | The source told the paper that the convoy stopped for something to eat with about 100km still to go in an area that is not restricted. They said that army planes then arrived and started shooting at the vehicles. “Some tried to run, but the soldiers followed them and opened fire against all of those who tried to escape,” the source was quoted as saying. |
| 4.56am BST | 4.56am BST |
| 04:56 | 04:56 |
| Amr Imam, a human rights lawyer and relative of one of the victims of Sunday’s shooting, has told the Guardian that six Egyptians were also among the dead. | Amr Imam, a human rights lawyer and relative of one of the victims of Sunday’s shooting, has told the Guardian that six Egyptians were also among the dead. |
| He claims the killings took place at 4pm on Sunday, and that according to the driver of one of the vehicles – who is now recovering in hospital – the convoy had stopped on a main road, and the tourists had walked about 500 metres into the desert to eat lunch. | He claims the killings took place at 4pm on Sunday, and that according to the driver of one of the vehicles – who is now recovering in hospital – the convoy had stopped on a main road, and the tourists had walked about 500 metres into the desert to eat lunch. |
| The Guardian understands that Awad Fathi, one of Egyptian victims, worked at the Kasr Bawiti Hotel in al-Wahhat al-Bahariya. | The Guardian understands that Awad Fathi, one of Egyptian victims, worked at the Kasr Bawiti Hotel in al-Wahhat al-Bahariya. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 6.04am BST | at 6.04am BST |
| 4.13am BST | 4.13am BST |
| 04:13 | 04:13 |
| Reports are circulating online that one of those killed was 37-year-old Awad Fathi, an Egyptian hotel manager and tour guide. | Reports are circulating online that one of those killed was 37-year-old Awad Fathi, an Egyptian hotel manager and tour guide. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 6.03am BST | at 6.03am BST |
| 4.04am BST | 4.04am BST |
| 04:04 | 04:04 |
| According to the Arabic-language newspaper, Al Masry Al Youm, a spokesman for the Egyptian tourism ministry has claimed the vehicles in which the tourists were travelling were not licensed, did not notify authorities of their presence and did not have the necessary permits to be in the area. | According to the Arabic-language newspaper, Al Masry Al Youm, a spokesman for the Egyptian tourism ministry has claimed the vehicles in which the tourists were travelling were not licensed, did not notify authorities of their presence and did not have the necessary permits to be in the area. |
| The full story (in Arabic) is here | The full story (in Arabic) is here |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.57am BST | at 4.57am BST |
| 3.55am BST | 3.55am BST |
| 03:55 | 03:55 |
| My colleague Jo Tuckman reports that Mexico’s foreign minister has tweeted a Mexican mobile phone number “for any information about Mexicans living or travelling in Egypt”. | My colleague Jo Tuckman reports that Mexico’s foreign minister has tweeted a Mexican mobile phone number “for any information about Mexicans living or travelling in Egypt”. |
| La Embajada de #México en @Egipto, @EmbaMexEgipto pone a disposición el teléfono de emergencias 24/7 +201093269490 | La Embajada de #México en @Egipto, @EmbaMexEgipto pone a disposición el teléfono de emergencias 24/7 +201093269490 |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.01am BST | at 4.01am BST |