LUXOR, Egypt
Two militants were killed Wednesday in an attack that took place near the ancient Karnak Temple in Egypt’s southern city of Luxor, the country’s Interior Ministry said.
The ministry said in a statement that three militants armed with machine guns and explosives tried to break through a security cordon that was set up around the temple.
“Two militants were killed when security forces dealt with them,” the ministry said.
According to the statement, a third militant and a local worker were injured in the attack.
The ministry said there were no injuries among foreign tourists or security forces.
Health Ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar, for his part, confirmed that two people had been killed and another five injured.
He also said that no injuries had been reported among foreign tourists, for whom Luxor is a prominent vacation destination.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
A security source had earlier told Anadolu Agency that two people had been killed in what he described as a suicide bombing near the temple.
According to the source, a car bomb went off – reportedly killing the bomber himself – outside the temple.
The source added that a second militant had been killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in the area.
According to the source, the bombing targeted a tourist bus outside the temple.
In late 1997, militants killed at least 62 people – the vast majority of whom were foreign tourists – outside Luxor’s famous Hatshepsut Temple.
