We’re going to wind up this blog for now. Thanks for reading.
Some of the tourists caught up in the attack were Spanish nationals, according to unverified reports quoting the the wounded driver of the group.
Updated
Orla Guerin, the BBC’s correspondent in Cairo, says local guides have told her colleagues that the area where the tourists was attacked was not off limits.
Local tour guide tells BBC that the Mexican tourists killed by Egypt's security forces were not in a restricted area
— Orla Guerin (@OrlaGuerin) September 14, 2015
Hugh Miles, in Cairo, has spoken to an Egyptian tour guide who often travels to the Bahariya region, who told him some of the procedures that tour operators have to follow when taking foreigners there.
The tour guide says that groups generally don’t need permission to travel the road through the area, but must consult officials before straying into the desert. I have bolded a couple of sections that seem especially relevant:
They needed permission to be there as the rule is now, set about six months ago, in order to leave the road generally you need permission for this Abu Mahara [as heard] dune or the other dunes on the north of the road, Al Ghorabi dunes, both need permission. I have been there before, the new rule is to obtain permission. You get permission there [in Bahariya]. There is an office that belongs to the military coastguard [as heard] and usually a tourism company should go and get the official permission showing the official company papers showing they are allowed to take tourists. Then they get a permission and they know which guys you are taking and they even send a security personnel with you.
I assume if they did not have permission like they are saying they would not have had security personnel with them. Normally you would assume they had permission and a security personnel. It is not possible they had security personnel but no permission, but what has been happening the last couple of months - and this was told to me by one of the guides on Bahariya - is that they coordinate with the military personnel there, that they have a group and they are taking them to a specific area in the white desert and the military knows they are going to this area and they just coordinate verbally, without official a permission. But they know that they are there and generally then it is not dangerous to be there. They have been doing that on a friendly basis for the last couple of months. But in this area [where attack happened] it is not possible - this was done only for the white desert.
Many guides work like freelancers and they don’t have companies so they get oral permission from the security personnel because they know them and they trust that they won’t take the tourists to other dangerous areas.
Rumours have begun to circulate that the tourist group attacked by Egyptian security forces would have been travelling with a police escort.
Hugh Miles, who is reporting from Egypt, said groups of foreigners in the area would probably be accompanied by police.
Friend of Western desert victim, a hotel owner, says they had a police escort #Egypt #Farafara
— Claire Read (@clear_red) September 14, 2015
The Mexican Safari trip had a police escort. Egypt police is taking rock bottom to a whole new depth...Shale gas depth! #EGWestDesert
— COYG (@AmrGunner1) September 14, 2015
Egypt’s official English-language tourism website lists the location of the attack, the Bahariya Oasis, as a popular tourist spot, despite official claims that the bus carrying the Mexican tourists was travelling without permits in a restricted area. It says:
Spanning over 2000 sq. km. the Bahariya Oasis is a lush haven set in the midst of an unforgiving desert and surrounded by black hills made of quartz. The Oasis is home to amazing ruins, such as the Temple of Alexander the Great, beautifully painted Ptolemaic tombs and very old churches. The recent discovery of the golden mummies, the pride of Bawiti Museum today, turned the oasis’ main town, into a tourist magnet, and its proximity to the Black Desert have earned Bahariya a high rank on the tourist map of Egypt.
Go for a short hike up to the mountains of Bahariya for an aerial view of the oasis, dunes and great sunsets. Visit ancient Egyptian and Graeco-Roman sites, such as the Tomb of Banentiu, haggle with the locals for a scarf or a rug, enjoy a moment of solitude among wildlife, or relax in the hot waters of the Bir Sigam hot spring. Your options in Bahariya are wider than you can imagine.
Eduard Cousin, managing editor at Daily News Egypt, tweeted:
Most foreigners I know in #Cairo, including myself, have made desert trips from Baheriya oasis #Egypt
— Eduard Cousin (@EduardCousin) September 14, 2015
Hi, Damien Gayle here in the Guardian’s London office. I’ll be taking over this blog, updating the latest developments as they come in from Egypt and Mexico, as well as the international reaction.
There’s not much so far. According to Louisa Loveluck, the Telegraph’s Middle East reporter, Egyptian government officials are playing hard to get this morning.
It's not easy to get hold of an Egyptian government official this morning. Official statement says tourists part of an 'unlicensed safari'.
— Louisa Loveluck (@leloveluck) September 14, 2015
Egyptian officials are continuing to emphasise that the tourist convoy was not approved to be in this part of the western desert, which is a popular tourist spot, but was hours before the site of clashes between security forces and militants linked to Islamic State.
The tour company involved “did not have permits and did not inform authorities,” Rasha Azazi, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, told The Associated Press, adding that any trips to the Farafra area are required to be cleared by officials.
“They were not supposed to be there,” she said, but could not provide further information on the circumstances of the shooting.
Updated
What we know so far
If you’re just joining us, here’s the latest:
- At least two Mexican nationals are among 12 people accidentally killed by Egyptian security forces in the country’s western desert
- The Egyptian interior ministry claims a joint police-military force was pursuing militants in the area when they attacked a convoy of four four-wheel drives. They said the tourists and their guides were in the area “illegally” and are investigating
- At least five Mexicans have also been injured, the country’s foreign ministry said, and are being treated at the Dar-el-Fouad hospital south-west of Cairo
- The Mexican president, Enrique Peña Nieto, said he “condemn[ed] these acts against our citizens” and called for a thorough investigation.
- The Spanish newspaper El Mundo has reported that some of the tourists in the group were Chilean. It has also cast doubt on whether the tourists and their guides were in a prohibited area, claiming they were only hundreds of metres from a main road
- A relative of one of the reported victims told the Guardian that six Egyptians were among the 12 people killed
- Read our latest wrap here
Updated
More now from the Egyptian tourism ministry, which is again claiming the tourists should not have been in the area where they were killed.
#Egypt tourism min says 12 Mexican tourists army shot dead were in "unapproved" Safari.Police said their actions were "illegal".Unbelievable
— Bel Trew - بل ترو (@Beltrew) September 14, 2015
More from my colleague Jo Tuckman in Mexico:
Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that the company that organised the trip said the majority of the tourists were from Chile. The paper cited an unnamed source at the company, that it also did not name, saying that the tourists were traveling between Cairo and Bahareya oasis, about 350km south.
The source told the paper that the convoy stopped for something to eat with about 100km still to go in an area that is not restricted. They said that army planes then arrived and started shooting at the vehicles. “Some tried to run, but the soldiers followed them and opened fire against all of those who tried to escape,” the source was quoted as saying.
Amr Imam, a human rights lawyer and relative of one of the victims of Sunday’s shooting, has told the Guardian that six Egyptians were also among the dead.
He claims the killings took place at 4pm on Sunday, and that according to the driver of one of the vehicles – who is now recovering in hospital – the convoy had stopped on a main road, and the tourists had walked about 500 metres into the desert to eat lunch.
The Guardian understands that Awad Fathi, one of Egyptian victims, worked at the Kasr Bawiti Hotel in al-Wahhat al-Bahariya.
Updated
Reports are circulating online that one of those killed was 37-year-old Awad Fathi, an Egyptian hotel manager and tour guide.
Updated
According to the Arabic-language newspaper, Al Masry Al Youm, a spokesman for the Egyptian tourism ministry has claimed the vehicles in which the tourists were travelling were not licensed, did not notify authorities of their presence and did not have the necessary permits to be in the area.
Updated
My colleague Jo Tuckman reports that Mexico’s foreign minister has tweeted a Mexican mobile phone number “for any information about Mexicans living or travelling in Egypt”.
La Embajada de #México en @Egipto, @EmbaMexEgipto pone a disposición el teléfono de emergencias 24/7 +201093269490
— Claudia Ruiz Massieu (@ruizmassieu) September 14, 2015
Updated
Mexico's ambassador to Egypt says five Mexicans among injured
From my colleague Jo Tuckman, in Mexico:
The Mexican foreign ministry put out a statement on Sunday night saying that “at this moment there are two confirmed Mexican nationals who died in the incident”. The ministry said it was still in the process of confirming the identity of the victims.
The statement also said the Mexican ambassador in Egypt, Jorge Álvarez Fuentes, had personally talked to five Mexican who have been taken to hospital and are in a stable condition. It said that the number of Mexicans among the group of tourists was not now known.
Updated
Mexico’s foreign minister, Claudia Ruiz Massieu, has also confirmed the deaths of two Mexicans, but says her office is “confirming the identities of other possible victims”.
Lamentablemente, tenemos confirmado el fallecimiento de dos mexicanos. Estamos confirmando las identidades de otras posibles víctimas.
— Claudia Ruiz Massieu (@ruizmassieu) September 14, 2015
The injured – at least five Mexicans reportedly among them – are being treated at the Dar-el-Fouad hospital in Giza.
El Emb de México en Egipto Jorge Álvarez y personal consular se encuentran en el Hospital Dar-el-Fouad atendiendo a los nacionales afectados
— SRE México (@SRE_mx) September 14, 2015
Updated
Mexican president condemns killings
En un trágico incidente en Egipto, turistas mexicanos fueron atacados. Lamento profundamente que connacionales hayan perdido la vida.
— Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) September 14, 2015
“In a tragic incident in Egypt, Mexican tourists were attacked. I deeply regret that people have lost their lives.”
El Embajador de México en Egipto se encuentra apoyando a los heridos hospitalizados.
— Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) September 14, 2015
“Mexico’s Ambassador to Egypt has been supporting the wounded in hospital.”
He indicado a la @SRE_MX, incrementar nuestro personal diplomático en aquel país, para auxiliar a las víctimas y a sus familiares.
— Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) September 14, 2015
“I have indicated to the Mexican secretariat of foreign affairs to increase our diplomatic personnel in that country, to assist the victims and their families.”
México condena estos hechos en contra de nuestros ciudadanos y ha exigido al gobierno de Egipto una exhaustiva investigación de lo ocurrido.
— Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) September 14, 2015
“Mexico condemns these acts against our citizens and has called on the government of Egypt for a thorough investigation of what happened.”
Updated
Mexico confirms two nationals killed
Mexico’s foreign ministry has just tweeted, confirming the deaths of two of its nationals.
Se tiene confirmado el fallecimiento de dos nacionales mexicanos producto de este incidente.
— SRE México (@SRE_mx) September 14, 2015
It reads: “We can confirm the deaths of two Mexican nationals as a result of this incident.”
.@ruizmassieu ha estado en comunicación con el Emb. de Egipto en México y le exigió una investigación a fondo y explicación de los hechos.
— SRE México (@SRE_mx) September 14, 2015
“Claudia Ruiz Massieu [the Mexican foreign minister] has been in communication with the embassy of Egypt in Mexico and demanded an investigation into background and explanation of the facts.”
Updated
Significantly, hours before this shooting Islamic State announced its presence in Egypt’s Western desert through its local affiliate, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis. The group, regarded as the country’s deadliest militants, pledged allegiance to Isis in November last year.
The group has staged attacks in the Western desert before, and analyst Michael Horowitz has suggested the announcement was intended to alleviate pressure on the group in the Sinai, where it is also involved in clashes with the government.
#Egypt | #BREAKING : #ISIS announced its presence in Egypt's Western Sahara Desert and clashes with the Egyptian army pic.twitter.com/zjHX7Uwtx1
— INC World (@INCWorldAgency) September 13, 2015
Updated
Here’s a map showing where we understand the shootings to have taken place. Despite the Egyptian government’s claim that the tourists were in the area illegally, the Western desert’s oases – Bahreya, Farafirah, Kharga and Dakhla – have attracted sightseers for decades.
Updated
We’re still unclear on how many Egyptians and Mexicans were killed, as well as the exact location of the shootings. I’ve just spoken to someone in the Bahariya oasis who claims the shooting was close by, but that has not been confirmed.
The area has been riven by conflict between Egypt’s military and Islamist militants. Ahram Online has this background:
The vast Western desert, which is the gateway to volatile and lawless Libya, has been exploited by militants affiliated to the Islamic State group, who mainly target security forces in Sinai on Egypt’s eastern borders.
Last month five Egyptian troops died when their helicopter crashed while chasing “terrorists” in the Siwa oasis in the Western desert. An army spokesman said that was due to a “technical failure”.
At least 21 Egyptian soldiers were killed in July 2014 when gunmen attacked a military checkpoint in the New Valley governorate, also in the Western desert.
“An inspection team was formed to identify what happened and why the tourist convoy was present in the aforementioned restricted area,” the interior ministry statement said.
Hundreds of police and army soldiers have been killed by militants since the July 2013 overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, with the Islamic State-affiliated Sinai Province group claiming responsibility for many of the major attacks.
Updated
Via Reuters, a little background on the unrest in Egypt – including about a tweet by Islamic State militants earlier on Sunday claiming they had “repelled” an attack by security forces in the same (admittedly vast) area.
Egypt is battling an insurgency that gained pace after the military ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 after mass protests against his rule.
The insurgency, mounted by Islamic State’s Egyptian affiliate, has killed hundreds of soldiers and police and has started to attack western targets.
Earlier on Sunday Islamic State released a statement carried by its supporters on Twitter saying it had repelled an attack by the Egyptian military in the Western desert, a recent development for the insurgency that had been largely based in the Sinai peninsula with occasional attacks taking place in Cairo and other cities.
Updated
Here’s our first take on this developing story out of Egypt.
At least a dozen tourists and their guides have been killed in what is reported to be an accidental attack on their convoy by Egyptian security forces.
The tourists are reported to be Mexican and as many as 10 other passengers in a convoy of four cars are said to have been injured.
A statement from Egyptian interior ministry said while police and armed forces were pursuing “terrorist elements” they accidentally engaged with a tourist convoy.
The ministry statement claimed the tourists should not have been in that area and their presence there was “illegal”.
Updated
Welcome to our rolling coverage of the shooting of 12 Mexicans and Egyptians in Egypt’s Western desert by the country’s security forces.
Egypt’s interior ministry has issued this statement confirming the deaths, which it said was accidental.
A joint force from the police and military, whilst chasing terrorist elements in the oasis area of the western desert tonight, accidentally engaged four four-wheel drives belonging to a Mexican tourist group.
The incident resulted in the death of 12 Mexicans and Egyptians and the injury of 10 others who have been transferred to hospitals.
Stay with us for more on this developing story.
Updated
