Two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian guide were killed on Sunday by an Egyptian police officer at a popular archaeological site in Alexandria, Israel’s Foreign Ministry reported.
The trio were shot dead while visiting the ancient Roman site of Pompey’s Pillar, located in the heart of the coastal city.
It is unclear what sparked the shooting, but two Egyptian security sources told Reuters that the police officer claimed he lost control after being provoked by the group of tourists and then discharged his weapon randomly at them.
Another person was injured in the shooting, but reports vary as to whether he was Egyptian or Israeli.
The shooter was reportedly detained.
Images from the scene showed bodies slumped at the ancient site, as investigators moved among them and onlookers screamed in anguish.
The shooting came just a day after Hamas militants attacked Israel in a sneak attack that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Israelis and dozens more taken hostage by the Palestinian terrorist group.
Bodies lay slumped at the historic site after the shooting in Egypt on Sunday. Onlookers cried out for help as the bodies of the tour group lay around them. Two of the dead were Israelis.
Thousands more people in Israel have been injured.
Israel has since declared war on Hamas and vowed “powerful revenge” against the group, resulting in the deaths of more than 370 Palestinians and 2,000 injuries in Gaza so far, according to Gaza officials.
Egypt was the first nation in the region to formalize relations with Israel with a peace treaty in 1979.
Since then, the nation has played a decisive role in mediating relations between Israel, the Palestinians and Arab nations.
The shooting took place at the ancient Roman site of Alexandria, Pompey’s Pillar, which dates back to around AD 300. Getty Images
Pro-Palestinian sentiments among the Egyptian citizenry have long generated tensions with Israeli visitors.
In June, three Israeli soldiers and an Egyptian security officer were killed by an Egyptian police officer during an altercation over a smuggling operation on the Egyptian border.
Israel called that murder a terrorist attack.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn