Egypt - Security forces mistake tourists for terrorists, killing 12, 13 Sept 2015

KEVINinTO

Former Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2010
Messages
989
Reaction score
23
12 Mexican tourists were killed in a case of mistaken identity. Security forces thought they were ISIS members.

[video]http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/13/middleeast/egypt-tourists-killed/index.html[/video]
 
That is devastating for everyone---except Isis. What a tragic mistake.
 
<<snipped>>

'The attack happened Saturday within a so-called restricted area.'

[video]http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/13/middleeast/egypt-tourists-killed/index.html[/video]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why were the tourists in a restricted area? No matter, of course, this is sad.

As our world becomes more violent, it also becomes more paranoid. JMO
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/14/w...-accidentally-kill-mexican-tourists.html?_r=0
Sept 13, 15

[...]

The tourists were traveling in a group of four sport utility vehicles in an area roughly 30 miles from Bahariya Oasis, security officials said. The oasis, a verdant desert outpost, is about 230 miles south of Cairo, and is a popular stop for groups on desert tours.

[...]
~

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34241680
"20 minutes ago"
[...]
killed 12 people, including Mexican tourists,
[...]
The tourists were travelling in four vehicles that entered a restricted zone
[...]
Ten Mexicans and Egyptians were also injured and are being treated in a local hospital.
[...]


~

Odd that their drivers would take them there? Tour drivers would normally know where to go.
 
I find it very odd that Mexican tourists would be in Egypt. Now that ISIS has made inroads in Egypt it is a very dangerous place for any tourist to be. I have seen reports in the past about Mexican drug cartels working in collaboration with ISIS. I wonder if this was a joint ISIS/Mexican drug cartel operation (both groups use similar tactics such as beheadings). Of course they could be just innocent tourists who naively entered a restricted area.
 
I find it very odd that Mexican tourists would be in Egypt. Now that ISIS has made inroads in Egypt it is a very dangerous place for any tourist to be. I have seen reports in the past about Mexican drug cartels working in collaboration with ISIS. I wonder if this was a joint ISIS/Mexican drug cartel operation (both groups use similar tactics such as beheadings). Of course they could be just innocent tourists who naively entered a restricted area.

Agreed, on the point that it is a drug route as well, but I wouldn't go as far as making the link to these tourists. The nationality of the tourists I'm not so surprise are Mexican. In Europe and the U.S., the public may be much more aware of the the threat of terrorism compared to Mexico, where cartel violence dominates.
 
12 people, most of them tourists from Mexico, have been shot and killed on a desert safari after Egyptian security forces mistook them for terrorists. 10 people were also injured, with five Mexicans reported to be in stable condition by the Mexican ambassador when a military helicopter opened fire on their convoy.

Authorities say the four tour vehicles entered a restricted zone in the Wahat region of the Western Desert without permission or notification. The tour operators deny this and say they even had a police escort. Mexico's President has demanded an investigation.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34241680

ETA: Please ignore this thread - we already have one. Sorry! Here:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...es-mistake-tourists-for-terrorists-killing-12
 
I find it very odd that Mexican tourists would be in Egypt. Now that ISIS has made inroads in Egypt it is a very dangerous place for any tourist to be. I have seen reports in the past about Mexican drug cartels working in collaboration with ISIS. I wonder if this was a joint ISIS/Mexican drug cartel operation (both groups use similar tactics such as beheadings). Of course they could be just innocent tourists who naively entered a restricted area.

I have seen reports in the past about Mexican drug cartels working in collaboration with ISIS

Hi KEVINinTO

Could you please link to those reports?

Thank you,
Tricia
 
Hi KEVINinTO

Could you please link to those reports?

Thank you,
Tricia

I'm not Kevin, but, there are several reports of such activity. Here is just one:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/opinion/isis-deep-in-the-heart-of-texas.html?_r=0

Snipped

The site continued, &#8220;ISIS may be working to infiltrate&#8217; the U.S. with the aid of transnational drug cartels, he said, citing the violent Mexican criminal gang MS-13 as a highly likely candidate for the partnership.&#8221;

WND was not the only one to hype the cartel line. Representative Ted Poe of Texas said in August that there was interaction between ISIS and Mexican drug cartels and that they were &#8220;talking to each other.&#8221;

Fox News &#8220;reported&#8221; Friday on a so-called &#8220;situational awareness&#8221; bulletin sent out by the Texas Department of Public Safety and obtained by the &#8220;news&#8221; network. According to Fox, the bulletin read, &#8220;A review of ISIS social media messaging during the week ending August 26 shows that militants are expressing an increased interest in the notion that they could clandestinely infiltrate the southwest border of U.S., for terror attack.&#8221;
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/14/w...-accidentally-kill-mexican-tourists.html?_r=0
Sept 13, 15

[...]

The tourists were traveling in a group of four sport utility vehicles in an area roughly 30 miles from Bahariya Oasis, security officials said. The oasis, a verdant desert outpost, is about 230 miles south of Cairo, and is a popular stop for groups on desert tours.

[...]
~

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34241680
"20 minutes ago"
[...]
killed 12 people, including Mexican tourists,
[...]
The tourists were travelling in four vehicles that entered a restricted zone
[...]
Ten Mexicans and Egyptians were also injured and are being treated in a local hospital.
[...]


~

Odd that their drivers would take them there? Tour drivers would normally know where to go.

Agree. I think the main tour guider/s chose that route for a suicide mission. We can't blame Uber on this one.
 
Guides are well aware of restricted zones in the area and know the dangers of entering them. Restricted zones are clearly marked AND are highlighted as restricted areas on a car's navigation system (in the middle east). You can also set the GPS to avoid restricted areas.
 
Snipped

Egyptian officials claim the safari convoy had wandered into a restricted area. The tour company involved "did not have permits and did not inform authorities," Rasha Azazi, a spokeswoman for the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, told The Associated Press, adding that any trips to that area must be cleared by officials. "They were not supposed to be there," she said, without providing further information about the incident.


http://abcnews.go.com/International...tourists-dead-egyptian-desert-attack-33734438
 
Some of the victims are reported to be Spanish.

The tour guides and other locals seem to be telling a completely story; that it's often just oral permission given by authorities for a tour, and that this one actually had a police escort.

Just my opinion, but I think Egyptian authorities have made a terrible mistake here and these victims were just completely innocent tourists.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/li...s-and-guides-while-chasing-terrorist-elements
 
I'm not Kevin, but, there are several reports of such activity. Here is just one:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/opinion/isis-deep-in-the-heart-of-texas.html?_r=0

Snipped

The site continued, &#8220;ISIS may be working to infiltrate&#8217; the U.S. with the aid of transnational drug cartels, he said, citing the violent Mexican criminal gang MS-13 as a highly likely candidate for the partnership.&#8221;

WND was not the only one to hype the cartel line. Representative Ted Poe of Texas said in August that there was interaction between ISIS and Mexican drug cartels and that they were &#8220;talking to each other.&#8221;

Fox News &#8220;reported&#8221; Friday on a so-called &#8220;situational awareness&#8221; bulletin sent out by the Texas Department of Public Safety and obtained by the &#8220;news&#8221; network. According to Fox, the bulletin read, &#8220;A review of ISIS social media messaging during the week ending August 26 shows that militants are expressing an increased interest in the notion that they could clandestinely infiltrate the southwest border of U.S., for terror attack.&#8221;

Hold on --

That story wasn't a news item, it was an opinion piece, and it was talking about how fears about ISIS are being used as "political fodder for anti-immigrant, enforcement-over-citizenship border politicians."

The portion you quoted above is out of context. Here's the whole passage:

"The conservative website WND &#8220;reported&#8221; in July that &#8220;a top U.S. Defense Department analyst under President Bush says ISIS, the Islamic jihadists creating a Muslim caliphate in Iraq and beyond, could use the Mexican border to infiltrate America, and it could happen &#8216;sooner rather than later.'&#8221;

The site continued, &#8220;ISIS may be working to infiltrate&#8217; the U.S. with the aid of transnational drug cartels, he said, citing the violent Mexican criminal gang MS-13 as a highly likely candidate for the partnership.&#8221;

WND was not the only one to hype the cartel line. Representative Ted Poe of Texas said in August that there was interaction between ISIS and Mexican drug cartels and that they were &#8220;talking to each other.&#8221;"

Note how "reported" was put in quotation marks. That's because the author does not believe that actual 'reporting' is taking place. And it wasn't the New York Times standing behind the reports -- they were reporting what a political blog posted as a supposed report.

The New York Times opinion piece quoted ends as follows: "The ISIS-at-the-border hype appears to simply be an attempt to kill two birds with one stone &#8212; be pro-war and anti-immigration at the same time."
 
I'm not Kevin, but, there are several reports of such activity. Here is just one:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/opinion/isis-deep-in-the-heart-of-texas.html?_r=0

Snipped

The site continued, “ISIS may be working to infiltrate’ the U.S. with the aid of transnational drug cartels, he said, citing the violent Mexican criminal gang MS-13 as a highly likely candidate for the partnership.”

WND was not the only one to hype the cartel line. Representative Ted Poe of Texas said in August that there was interaction between ISIS and Mexican drug cartels and that they were “talking to each other.”

Fox News “reported” Friday on a so-called “situational awareness” bulletin sent out by the Texas Department of Public Safety and obtained by the “news” network. According to Fox, the bulletin read, “A review of ISIS social media messaging during the week ending August 26 shows that militants are expressing an increased interest in the notion that they could clandestinely infiltrate the southwest border of U.S., for terror attack.”

From your link:

The National Counterterrorism Center director, Matthew Olsen, said that while ISIS did pose “significant threat to us” it was not “Al Qaeda pre-9/11” and “we have no credible information” that ISIS is planning to attack the United States.

The ISIS-at-the-border hype appears to simply be an attempt to kill two birds with one stone — be pro-war and anti-immigration at the same time.
 
Homeland Security: There are no ISIS training camps in Mexico
My San Antonio (a Hearst Newspaper)
By Joshua Fechter Published 3:45 pm, Friday, April 17, 2015


http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/lo...curity-There-are-no-ISIS-training-6207079.php

“U.S. officials are pushing back against a report claiming that militants for the Islamic State have set up shop just across the U.S.-Mexico border from El Paso.

A report published Tuesday by Judicial Watch, a conservative media outlet, claims that the terrorist group has established two bases approximately eight miles from the border and is coordinating with drug cartels to smuggle fighters in the United States.

The outlet cited a Mexican federal police inspector and an Army field grade officer, both unnamed, as their sources.

*

A State Department spokesman shot down the report in a statement to Fox News on Friday: "The United States and Mexico work together on counterterrorism and border security to protect the citizens of both of our countries from the threat of terrorism and violent extremism."”

*

“This isn't the first time Judicial Watch has attempted to stoke fears about members of the militant group crossing the border: San Antonio Express-News columnist Brian Chasnoff wrote in a September column that the conservative outlet was reporting ISIS militants planned to attack the United States from Ciudad Juarez.

"There is no credible intelligence to suggest that there is an active plot by ISIL [ISIS] to attempt to cross the southern border," Homeland Security officials said in a written statement to The New York Times.”
 

Staff online

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
267
Guests online
2,816
Total visitors
3,083

Forum statistics

Threads
591,044
Messages
17,944,968
Members
228,372
Latest member
Emmachabada
Back
Top