This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen
on .
It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
Egyptian security forces kill 12 people by mistake after opening fire on Mexican tourist convoy
Egyptian security forces shoot 12 people including Mexican tourists by mistake
(about 3 hours later)
The Egyptian security forces have killed at least people and injured 10 after mistaking a convoy of Mexican tourists for militants, the ministry of interior said.
At least 12 people have been killed after Egyptian security forces mistakenly opened fire on a convoy of vehicles carrying tourists, Egyptian officials have said.
At least two Mexicans were killed, Mexico's foreign ministry confirmed in a statement.
Of the victims, at least two were from Mexico. The country's Foreign Ministry said it was still trying to identify them.
A joint force from the Egyptian police and military was chasing militants in the country's vast western desert, which borders Libya, when it inadvertently opened fire on the convoy.
The attack, which occurred when the four vehicles entered the restricted zone in the Western Desert’s Wahat area on Sunday, also injured at least 10 Mexicans and Egyptians.
The convoy was made up of four four-wheel drive vehicles, the Egyptian interior ministry said in a statement, and there will be an investigation into how and why the tourists entered an off-limits area.
Officials said that Egyptian police and military forces had been carrying out an anti-terror operation to pursue militants in the area which borders with Libya, the BBC reported.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto condemned the attack on his Twitter account, describing it as a tragic incident and demanding a full investigation.
“[The tourists] were not supposed to be there,” said Rasha Azazi, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism.
"Mexico condemns these deeds against our citizens and has demanded an exhaustive investigation of what has occurred," he tweeted.
She told AP that the tour company “did not have permits and did not inform authorities”.
Egypt's tourism ministry spokesman told state news agency MENA the convoy was at an off-limits site and was using unlicensed cars. The convoy was taking part in an unapproved safari, he said.
Enrique Pena Nieto, the president of Mexico, condemned the "tragic incident" on social media.
Mexican ambassador Jorge Alvarez met with five Mexicans who were in stable condition in hospital, Mexico's foreign ministry said.
According to a translation by Reuters, he tweeted: “Mexico condemns these deeds against our citizens and has demanded an exhaustive investigation of what has occurred.”
The Mexican ministry said an "undetermined" number of its country's nationals had been attacked and that it was in the process of identifying the two who had been killed.
The country’s foreign minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu also demanded an investigation, according to a Mexican statement.
Egypt is battling an insurgency that gained pace after the military ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 after mass protests against his rule.
A Foreign Ministry statement said that Jorge Alvarez Fuentes, the Mexican ambassador, had spoken with five Mexicans who were in a stable condition in the Dar el-Fouad hospital in Cairo.
The insurgency, mounted by Islamic State's Egyptian affiliate, has killed hundreds of soldiers and police and has started to attack Western targets.
Earlier on Sunday, the Isis group in Egypt said it had resisted an attack by the military in the desert, the BBC reported.
Earlier on Sunday Islamic State released a statement carried by its supporters on Twitter saying it had repelled an attack by the Egyptian military in the western desert.
Egypt’s fight against Islamic insurgency has escalated in recent years after the military ousted President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013.
While the insurgency has been largely based in the Sinai Peninsula, attacks have taken place in Cairo and other cities. In August, an Egyptian military aircraft crashed in the western desert near the Libyan border while on a mission against Islamist militants, killing four people.
Many of the attacks have been aimed at the army and the police by the Isis affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula.
Security officials say militants operating from Libya to the west of Egypt have been trying to forge ties with Islamists in the Sinai on the east side of the country.
In February, Egypt bombed Isis targets in Libya after the group released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians.
Egyptian jets bombed Islamic State targets in Libya in February, a day after the group there released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians, drawing Cairo directly into factional conflict across its border.
