Extremist outfit ISIS said on Friday that its members had carried out an attack on Israeli tourists in Cairo. The statement said that the attack was in response to a call by the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to target Jews “everywhere”.
The group’s statement released on the internet says, light arms were used in the attack, which took place on Thursday.
The Interior Ministry of Egypt has said the attack was directed at security forces and was carried out by a member of a group of people who had gathered near the hotel.
Islamic State’s Egypt affiliate has been waging an insurgency based in Sinai, mostly targeting security forces.
The tourism industry, which is a vital source of hard currency in Egypt, is highly sensitive to attacks by militants and has slow down from years of political turmoil.
Militant violence has been on the rise since the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in 2013 after mass protests against his rule.
Hundreds of members of the security forces have been attacked in suicide bombings and shootings, which persist despite the toughest crackdown on militants in Egypt’s history.
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