Google Earth Community: 2005 Sharm el-Sheikh attacks

The 2005 Sharm el-Sheikh attacks were a series of terror attacks on July 23, 2005, perpetrated by a Wahhabi organization, targeting the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, located on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Eighty-eight people were killed, the majority of them Egyptians, and over 200 were wounded by the blasts, making the attack the deadliest terrorist action in the country's history.The bombings coincided with Egypt's Revolution Day, which commemorates Nasser's 1952 overthrow of King Farouk. They were intended to hurt one of Egypt's most important vacation spots, a tourism capital that had billions of dollars invested in it, and achieved that goal as it was registered that many tourists vacated and there were numerous cancellations.As a response, there were many arrests, especially of the Bedouin in the Sinai who were alleged for aiding the attack, and Egypt started erecting a separation barrier around the city, cutting it off from possible attacks and the nearby Bedouin communityExplosionsThe attacks took place in the early morning hours, at a time when many tourists and locals were still out at restaurants, cafés and bars. The first bomb blast, at 01:15 local time (22:15 UTC), happened at the Old Market bazaar in downtown Sharm el-Sheikh, killing 17 people, mostly Egyptians. The bomber had to abandon his truck bomb in the market because of a police roadblock.[2] The second bomb was hidden in a suitcase and exploded outside the Moevenpick Hotel, killing six tourists.[3] The final bomb was a truck bomb that was driven into the lobby of the Ghazala Gardens hotel, a 176-room four-star establishment in the Naama Bay area, a strip of beachfront hotels some 6 km from the town centre. About 45 people died in this blast.[4]The blasts were powerful, shaking windows miles away. Fire and smoke could be seen rising from the explosion sites.

Post Extras