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Islamist governor of Egypt's Luxor quits after uproar | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The new governor of Egypt's Luxor province has resigned amid controversy over his links to an Islamist group that carried out a deadly attack on tourists there in 1997. | |
Adel Khayat's appointment infuriated many Egyptians and prompted the tourism minister to submit his resignation. | Adel Khayat's appointment infuriated many Egyptians and prompted the tourism minister to submit his resignation. |
Islamist President Mohammed Morsi had defended Mr Khayat's appointment. | |
Mr Khayat is a member of the political wing of Gamaa Islamiya, which carried out the raid that killed 58 tourists. | Mr Khayat is a member of the political wing of Gamaa Islamiya, which carried out the raid that killed 58 tourists. |
'For Egypt's sake' | |
Mr Khayat, a member of the Construction and Development party, had denied any role in Gamaa Islamiya's militant past and pledged to protect tourists. | |
He told a news conference on Sunday: "We will not accept that one drop of blood be spilt because of a position that I did not personally aspire to at any time." | He told a news conference on Sunday: "We will not accept that one drop of blood be spilt because of a position that I did not personally aspire to at any time." |
Mr Khayat was appointed Luxor's governor by President Morsi last week. | |
One of Gamaa Islamiya's leaders, Safwat Abdel Ghani, told local media the group had "asked the new governor to resign for the sake of Egypt". | One of Gamaa Islamiya's leaders, Safwat Abdel Ghani, told local media the group had "asked the new governor to resign for the sake of Egypt". |
The group - which is blamed for a series of attacks in the 1990s - has since renounced violence. | |
BBC Arabic's Khaled Ezzelarab says the resignation came as no surprise, but that the opposition will see the decision as a victory against Mr Morsi, ahead of anticipated protests against his rule at the end of this month. | |
Luxor is a prime destination for tourists, though the local economy has been struggling as visitor numbers have dropped since Egypt's political uprising in 2011. | Luxor is a prime destination for tourists, though the local economy has been struggling as visitor numbers have dropped since Egypt's political uprising in 2011. |
Tourism workers there had protested against the appointment and Tourism Minister Hesham Zazou offered his resignation to the prime minister. | Tourism workers there had protested against the appointment and Tourism Minister Hesham Zazou offered his resignation to the prime minister. |
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