A French tourist has been killed and a German national has been wounded in an attack by a group of gunmen on a currency exchange office in the popular Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
The attack took place on Saturday in the Old Town of the Red Sea resort, a popular tourist attraction. The attackers opened random fire as they robbed the exchange office, located in the market area, stealing some 200,000 Egyptian pounds ($33,000), sources in Sharm el-Sheikh said.
The attackers have been detained, a source in the South Sinai provincial administration told RIA Novosti.
This is the first such attack in Sharm el-Sheikh in recent history. Millions of foreign tourists visit Egypt’s Red Sea resorts annually, and despite the current political unrest in the country, they have so far been considered safe.
On Friday, a similar attack on a bank by a group of Bedouins was reported in the town of al-Tur, some 60 miles from Sharm el-Sheikh. However, police have managed to prevent the robbery, killing one of the attackers. Officials believe the attacks may be linked.
