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| Egyptian Military Fires on Mexican Tourists During Picnic | |
| (1 day later) | |
| CAIRO — The convoy of four sport utility vehicles full of Mexican tourists was about three hours southwest of Cairo on a typical adventure trip through the White Desert, an otherworldly landscape of monumental chalk-rock formations. Around midday on Sunday, a diabetic passenger complained that she needed to eat. | |
| So, with the blessing of their police escort, and the apparent added security of an Apache military helicopter buzzing on the horizon, the group pulled off for a picnic, according to witnesses and others briefed on the trip. | So, with the blessing of their police escort, and the apparent added security of an Apache military helicopter buzzing on the horizon, the group pulled off for a picnic, according to witnesses and others briefed on the trip. |
| Then the helicopter opened fire, killing at least a dozen people — including at least two Mexicans — while wounding a tourist police officer and at least nine others. | Then the helicopter opened fire, killing at least a dozen people — including at least two Mexicans — while wounding a tourist police officer and at least nine others. |
| Some were gunned down as they tried to flee toward the top of a nearby sand dune, said Essam Monem, a resident of the area who arrived that night and saw the bodies sprawled in the sand. | Some were gunned down as they tried to flee toward the top of a nearby sand dune, said Essam Monem, a resident of the area who arrived that night and saw the bodies sprawled in the sand. |
| The helicopter crew had mistaken the lunching tourists for a camp of Islamist militants operating in the area, the Interior Ministry said in a statement Monday. The error killed more tourists than any terrorist attack in recent years, raising questions about both the competence of Egypt’s security forces and the prevalence of the militants they hunting. | |
| The deadly mistake is the latest setback facing President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s efforts to restore stability, two years after the military takeover that brought him to power. | The deadly mistake is the latest setback facing President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s efforts to restore stability, two years after the military takeover that brought him to power. |
| The disaster threatens to undermine a nascent recovery in the vital tourist industry, points to a failure to re-establish public security that has driven away investors, and embarrasses Mr. Sisi just days after he sought a new beginning by firing his prime minister and cabinet. | The disaster threatens to undermine a nascent recovery in the vital tourist industry, points to a failure to re-establish public security that has driven away investors, and embarrasses Mr. Sisi just days after he sought a new beginning by firing his prime minister and cabinet. |
| “What we saw was not just the lack of training of the military forces, but also their desperation,” said Mokhtar Awad, a researcher at the Center for American Progress, noting that Islamic State militants in the area had also released photographs on Sunday that appeared to show they had beaten an army unit in battle earlier the same day. | “What we saw was not just the lack of training of the military forces, but also their desperation,” said Mokhtar Awad, a researcher at the Center for American Progress, noting that Islamic State militants in the area had also released photographs on Sunday that appeared to show they had beaten an army unit in battle earlier the same day. |
| “It tells you how chaotic the situation is,” he said, “if they feel so desperate to put an end to this that they end up taking out what we gather is the first thing they see.” | “It tells you how chaotic the situation is,” he said, “if they feel so desperate to put an end to this that they end up taking out what we gather is the first thing they see.” |
| Initial reports on Sunday night from Egyptian security officials said that the error took place late at night, when mistaking Mexican tourists for Egyptian jihadists might be less hard to imagine. | Initial reports on Sunday night from Egyptian security officials said that the error took place late at night, when mistaking Mexican tourists for Egyptian jihadists might be less hard to imagine. |
| In its statement on Monday, the Interior Ministry sought instead to blame the tour guide — who was killed in the attack — by suggesting that the convoy had entered a “banned area” without permission. | In its statement on Monday, the Interior Ministry sought instead to blame the tour guide — who was killed in the attack — by suggesting that the convoy had entered a “banned area” without permission. |
| A Mexican tourist group “was present in the same banned area” as a group of “terrorist elements” that the military and police forces had been chasing, the ministry’s statement said. It also said a team had been formed to look into “the accident and the justifications for the presence of the tourist group in the aforementioned banned area.” | A Mexican tourist group “was present in the same banned area” as a group of “terrorist elements” that the military and police forces had been chasing, the ministry’s statement said. It also said a team had been formed to look into “the accident and the justifications for the presence of the tourist group in the aforementioned banned area.” |
| But the official union of tour guides and friends of the trip’s leader circulated photographs of the convoy’s official permit on the Internet. Union officials and friends of the guide said the tour had stuck to a common, widely used tourist route. The tour had passed through several police checkpoints and had moved only with the approval of its tourist police escort. | But the official union of tour guides and friends of the trip’s leader circulated photographs of the convoy’s official permit on the Internet. Union officials and friends of the guide said the tour had stuck to a common, widely used tourist route. The tour had passed through several police checkpoints and had moved only with the approval of its tourist police escort. |
| The convoy had “no information that this region is banned, no warning signs, and no instructions from checkpoints on the road, or the Tourism and Antiquities policeman present with them,” Hassan el-Nahla, the chairman of the General Union of Tourist Guides, said in a statement. | The convoy had “no information that this region is banned, no warning signs, and no instructions from checkpoints on the road, or the Tourism and Antiquities policeman present with them,” Hassan el-Nahla, the chairman of the General Union of Tourist Guides, said in a statement. |
| “Egypt will pay the price of the impact of this incident on the tourism industry,” he said. | “Egypt will pay the price of the impact of this incident on the tourism industry,” he said. |
| Although the helicopter that conducted the attack was military, a spokesman for the Egyptian armed forces deflected responsibility. “When it comes to tourists, it is a Ministry of Interior issue, not ours,” said the spokesman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Samir. | Although the helicopter that conducted the attack was military, a spokesman for the Egyptian armed forces deflected responsibility. “When it comes to tourists, it is a Ministry of Interior issue, not ours,” said the spokesman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Samir. |
| “This incident has nothing to do with the army even if the army and police carried out the operation together,” he said. “This is the system of this country, and you don’t have the right to question it.” | “This incident has nothing to do with the army even if the army and police carried out the operation together,” he said. “This is the system of this country, and you don’t have the right to question it.” |
| In Mexico, Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu told a news conference that two Mexican citizens had been killed and six wounded; reports in the Egyptian state media initially said that eight Mexicans had died, and Mexico officials said later that they did not know the fates of six Mexicans on the trip. | In Mexico, Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu told a news conference that two Mexican citizens had been killed and six wounded; reports in the Egyptian state media initially said that eight Mexicans had died, and Mexico officials said later that they did not know the fates of six Mexicans on the trip. |
| One of the dead was identified in Mexico news reports as Rafael José Bejarano Rangel, 41, a musician who studied other indigenous cultures. Some news reports on Monday said two of the Mexican wounded were dual citizens of the United States, but that could not be confirmed. | One of the dead was identified in Mexico news reports as Rafael José Bejarano Rangel, 41, a musician who studied other indigenous cultures. Some news reports on Monday said two of the Mexican wounded were dual citizens of the United States, but that could not be confirmed. |
| “We are waiting for the appropriate Egyptian authorities to give us access to better information that will allow us to know the situation of the rest of the affected people,” Ms. Ruiz Massieu said. | “We are waiting for the appropriate Egyptian authorities to give us access to better information that will allow us to know the situation of the rest of the affected people,” Ms. Ruiz Massieu said. |
| In a formal diplomatic note to the Egyptian ambassador, Mexico “expressed its deep consternation for these deplorable events and demanded that an expedited, exhaustive and thorough investigation is carried out.” | In a formal diplomatic note to the Egyptian ambassador, Mexico “expressed its deep consternation for these deplorable events and demanded that an expedited, exhaustive and thorough investigation is carried out.” |
| Mr. Sisi, a former army general, has struggled unsuccessfully to crush a militant Islamist insurgency set off after he led the military ouster of President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July 2013. The main militant movement is centered in the North Sinai, on the eastern side of the country, and last fall it declared itself the Sinai Province of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. | Mr. Sisi, a former army general, has struggled unsuccessfully to crush a militant Islamist insurgency set off after he led the military ouster of President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July 2013. The main militant movement is centered in the North Sinai, on the eastern side of the country, and last fall it declared itself the Sinai Province of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. |
| But militants aligned with the group have also attacked security forces in remote desert regions west of the Nile, including a major assault in July 2014 that killed at least 21 soldiers. Western diplomats briefed on intelligence reports say they believe that the Egyptian arm of the Islamic State has active cells operating in the vast desert, and they may obtain weapons or find havens across the western border in Libya as well. | But militants aligned with the group have also attacked security forces in remote desert regions west of the Nile, including a major assault in July 2014 that killed at least 21 soldiers. Western diplomats briefed on intelligence reports say they believe that the Egyptian arm of the Islamic State has active cells operating in the vast desert, and they may obtain weapons or find havens across the western border in Libya as well. |
| The air attack on the picnic, however, took place not far from the oasis town of Bahariya, a tourist hub that is a common staging ground for camping excursions into the White Desert. | The air attack on the picnic, however, took place not far from the oasis town of Bahariya, a tourist hub that is a common staging ground for camping excursions into the White Desert. |
| The Bahariya area had been considered relatively safe compared with the more remote areas farther west. But residents and security officials said that in recent days Islamic State militants had kidnapped a local Bedouin guide they suspected of having acted as a government informer. | The Bahariya area had been considered relatively safe compared with the more remote areas farther west. But residents and security officials said that in recent days Islamic State militants had kidnapped a local Bedouin guide they suspected of having acted as a government informer. |
| The security forces had located the militants and sought to attack them earlier Sunday in an effort to rescue the captive Bedouin, the residents and security officials said, but the militants overwhelmed and beat back the government’s troops.That battle appears to have been the subject of the photographs and statement released late Sunday by the Egyptian branch of the Islamic State, said Mr. Awad of the Center for American Progress, who tracks the militants. One photograph showed a Bedouin captive bound and beheaded, with his head resting on his back. | The security forces had located the militants and sought to attack them earlier Sunday in an effort to rescue the captive Bedouin, the residents and security officials said, but the militants overwhelmed and beat back the government’s troops.That battle appears to have been the subject of the photographs and statement released late Sunday by the Egyptian branch of the Islamic State, said Mr. Awad of the Center for American Progress, who tracks the militants. One photograph showed a Bedouin captive bound and beheaded, with his head resting on his back. |
| In response, the military sent the Apache helicopter to hunt for the militant camp, the officials and area residents said. And Mr. Awad argued that shock at the earlier retreat of the government’s ground forces may have contributed to the erroneous airstrike. | In response, the military sent the Apache helicopter to hunt for the militant camp, the officials and area residents said. And Mr. Awad argued that shock at the earlier retreat of the government’s ground forces may have contributed to the erroneous airstrike. |
| The attack on Sunday has received unusual attention because it involved foreigners. Mexican officials said they first learned of the episode on Sunday afternoon from the private tour operator that arranged the trip, Windows on Egypt, and the Mexican Embassy then raised the issue with the Egyptian government, which had not yet disclosed it. | The attack on Sunday has received unusual attention because it involved foreigners. Mexican officials said they first learned of the episode on Sunday afternoon from the private tour operator that arranged the trip, Windows on Egypt, and the Mexican Embassy then raised the issue with the Egyptian government, which had not yet disclosed it. |
| Residents of the North Sinai say that the security forces’ reliance on air power and shoot-first tactics lead to many civilian deaths. The Egyptian government, however, has acknowledged virtually no collateral civilian casualties. Instead, the government routinely releases only the statistics about the handfuls, dozens or hundreds of “terrorists” it has killed. None of the assertions can be confirmed because the government bars independent journalists from entering the area. | Residents of the North Sinai say that the security forces’ reliance on air power and shoot-first tactics lead to many civilian deaths. The Egyptian government, however, has acknowledged virtually no collateral civilian casualties. Instead, the government routinely releases only the statistics about the handfuls, dozens or hundreds of “terrorists” it has killed. None of the assertions can be confirmed because the government bars independent journalists from entering the area. |
| In August 2014, however, the Egyptian government acknowledged a smaller episode of accidental killing, on the coastal highway heading west from Cairo near the resort town and World War II battle site of El Alamein. | In August 2014, however, the Egyptian government acknowledged a smaller episode of accidental killing, on the coastal highway heading west from Cairo near the resort town and World War II battle site of El Alamein. |