Blasts in Dahab, Sinai

[afanous]

Who do you guys think committed this crime? I personally accuse the Sinai bedouins who already did it twice before

Several arrests after Egyptian resort blasts
Terrorism expert predicts more attacks in Sinai region

Tuesday, April 25, 2006; Posted: 11:37 a.m. EDT (15:37 GMT)

(CNN) -- Egyptian officials say several people have been arrested following three deadly explosions at a Red Sea resort town, while a terrorism expert has predicted there will be more attacks in the region.

Authorities believe those arrested Tuesday have information regarding the blasts the previous day but are not directly linked to the attacks.

Another Egyptian official said that 10 people have been detained for questioning in connection with the explosions at two cafeterias and a supermarket in the town of Dahab, a popular vacation spot for Israelis and Egyptians, as well as Westerners.

It is still unclear whether the attacks were caused by suicide bombers or bombs with timing devices, security officials told The Associated Press.

On Tuesday, officials reduced the official death toll to 18 people from 23. Another 85 were wounded in the blasts

It was the third terror strike on a Sinai resort in less than two years. (

Watch:Terror cuts vacation short 1.40)

An Israeli official predicted the Sinai would continue to be a target for Islamic extremists, AP reported.

"The coast combines all the elements that are a target, especially for global jihad," Gen. Elkana Har Nof, an official at the Israel prime minister's counterterrorism department, told Israel Radio.

Egyptian police on Tuesday were sifting through the debris from the three explosions. Divers were also being used to retrieve body parts from the shallow waters of the sea. (Watch: Terror cuts vacation short 1.40)

The dead include 12 Egyptians and six foreigners -- a German child, a Swiss national, a Russian national, a Lebanese woman and two whose nationalities were unknown, said Ambassador Magdi Radi, a spokesman for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Among the injured were 55 Egyptians and 30 foreigners of 13 different nationalities, Radi said. The nationalities were not immediately available.

Mubarak called the explosions "a wicked terrorist attack." He vowed to punish those responsible for the blasts and expressed his condolences to victims' family members, Nile Television said.

The blasts took place about 7:15 p.m. (1:15 p.m. ET) at two cafeterias and a supermarket.

The resort town was crowded with tourists because of the Easter holiday observed Sunday by the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt, as well as other orthodox churches.

"There were body parts and debris in the street. ... There are ambulances and cars taking people to hospital," one witness, who refused to be identified, told the Reuters news agency.

In July, 67 people were killed and more than 200 others wounded in Sharm el-Sheikh. Egyptian officials believe Bedouin residents of Sinai with connections to al Qaeda were responsible for those incidents. (Full story)

In October 2004, 34 people were killed in attacks on the Sinai resorts of Taba and Ras al Sultan. (Full story)

Each of those attacks also involved three explosions.

Israeli ambulance services, meanwhile, beefed up their presence on the border with Egypt, and a hospital in Eilat was getting extra blood supplies, officials said. Israeli medical services offered help to Egypt.

Chorus of condemnation

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas released a statement condemning the terrorist act as "cowardly and criminal" and offering his condolences to Mubarak and the Egyptian people.

Ehud Olmert, Israeli prime minister-designate, called Mubarak to offer his condolences and those of Israelis. The two leaders discussed the need to work together to fight terrorism, according to Olmert's office. Israel shares a border with the Sinai Peninsula.

In Amman, Jordanian government spokesman Nasser Judeh joined the chorus of condemnation, calling the acts "another tragic and horrific example for the need to have a collective effort of the international community to combat terrorism."

U.S. President George W. Bush, at a fundraiser for Rep. Jon Porter in Las Vegas, Nevada, said, "I strongly condemn the killings that took place."

"The innocent life lost in Egypt is a heinous act against innocent civilians," Bush said.

"I assure the enemy this: We will stay on the offense," he said. "We will not waiver."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a written statement that U.S. officials "have been in contact with the Egyptian government to extend our condolences and to offer whatever assistance they may need."

The explosions Monday came one day after an audiotape believed to be from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden denounced a "crusader-Zionist war" against Islam and held Western citizens -- not just their governments -- responsible. (Full story)

CNN's Ben Wedeman, Caroline Faraj and Michal Zippori contributed to this report.

Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.