Tour bus explosion in Egypt kills 4, wounds 14
It has been reported that armed Muslim fanatics called the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis ("protectors of the Holy Land") had caused the explosion of a Korean tour bus at the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. However, authorities believe that the culprits were not targeting people of a specific religion or Koreans.
A representative from the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis stated that his organization was behind the attack, and their target was economics and the tourist industry. An Israeli newspaper, The Time of Israel, reported that the group had revealed themselves as the culprits through Twitter. They also stated that they have carried out attacks against military commanders.
Although authorities explained that the terrorist attack may not have specifically targeted Koreans, they also had to take into account the fact that the tour bus carried pilgrims from Jinchun Jungang Church. Sunghan Lee, the commissioner of the Korean police concluded that the main motivation may have been to project antipathy towards the current Egyptian Regime.
The BBC reported that Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis is a terrorist group in allegiance with the Al Qaeda and they are estimated to have around 700 to 1000 members. Although they initially designated Israel as their primary target, they began attacking police, soldiers and Egyptian government officials. They are currently the most influential Muslim terrorist group on the Sinai Peninsula.
