Egypt security forces kill 40 suspected terrorists after tour bus bombing

Egyptian security forces killed 40 suspected terrorists on Saturday, one day after a roadside bomb detonated near a tour bus in Giza, killing four people.

Egypt’s interior ministry told Reuters that the alleged terrorists were killed in three separate incidents in North Sinai and Giza.

{mosads}The ministry did not confirm whether any of those killed were involved in Friday’s attack on a tour bus, according to Reuters.

The outlet reported that Egypt’s forces killed 30 people in raids on their hideouts in Giza, claiming that “terrorist elements” were planning attacks targeting state institutions and the tourism industry around the Christmas holidays, Reuters reported. Ten other suspected militants were killed in North Sinai.

Information about the suspects was not provided. A statement from state news agency MENA said the raids took place simultaneously. The outlet said the suspects were killed in a gun battle.

The raids were directed “as a continuation of the ministry’s efforts in chasing terrorist elements involved in the implementation of hostile operations seeking to destabilize the country’s security,” according to a ministry statement obtained by state-run Al-Ahram online newspaper.

The raids come one day after three Vietnamese tourists and a tour bus driver, who was Egyptian, were killed in a bombing Friday near the pyramids of Giza. Eleven other Vietnamese tourists were injured.

Ahmed Hafez, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, called the bombing an act of terrorism on Friday.

“The bombing of the tourist bus in El-Maryoutiya, a despicable, cowardly terrorist act which targets what cannot be targeted: The determination of Egypt and the Egyptians,” he wrote on Twitter.

“We extend our sincere condolences to the victims’ families in Vietnam and Egypt. We will continue to move towards a new year of determination to root out terrorism,” he added.

The attack fueled concerns about the safety of tourists in Egypt. Tourism is a key economic engine for the country.