Six terrorist suspects have been killed in shoot outs in Sinai as investigations into the Dahab bombings continue, reports Jailan Halawi Security forces have intensified the search for those behind the 24 April triple bombings in the Southern Sinai resort of Dahab and the twin suicide bomb attacks in north Sinai that occurred two days later. On 1 May, three terrorist suspects and an Egyptian police officer, major Abdel-Khaliq Nabil Abu Zeid, were killed in clashes between the security forces and militants in north Sinai. Two policemen were also wounded, one critically, in the confrontation that took place 60 kms south of Al-Arish city, in the Maghara Mountain area, said a Ministry of Interior statement. The three men are alleged to be members of the group that killed 18 people in bomb attacks on the beachfront promenade of the Red Sea resort of Dahab, one of the best wind surfing spots in the world, and then launched two suicide attacks on a multinational peace force and a police station in northern Sinai. The bombs in Dahab were the third terror strike to rock the Sinai Peninsula in less than two years. The first bomb exploded outside the beachfront Al-Capone restaurant, one of the area's most popular nightspots. The second explosion took place outside Ghazala supermarket, adjacent to the Santa Claus jewellery shop, while the third was detonated next to a wooden footbridge popular with tourists taking early evening strolls. The three blasts were detonated in less than a minute, damaging shops, supermarkets, bazaars, hotels and restaurants. Officials say the bombings claimed 19 lives, and injured 90. Thirteen Egyptians were killed, one of whom died this week in hospital as a result of injuries, as well as two Russians, one German boy, one Swiss, a Yemeni and a Hungarian. But the Ministry of Health has warned that the death toll could be revised upwards since forensic teams are still in the process of identifying body parts. On 26 April, two days later, two men blew themselves up close to a base in northern Sinai where multinational forces monitor Egypt's border with Israel. A spokesman for the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), which supervises the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, said a bomber appeared to target two of its vehicles, though no MFO members were hurt. The second attacker blew himself up next to a police car near the police station in Sheikh Zuwayed, near the northern coastal town of Al-Arish. The car was empty and there were no other casualties. A statement issued by the Ministry of Interior said a police officer was leaving Al-Gorah Airport, where the MFO has its main base, when he saw a man carrying a bomb that exploded as the officer's car passed, smashing the windscreen but causing no casualties. As police officers left the north Sinai police headquarters to investigate the incident a Bedouin on a bicycle attempted to obstruct them and detonated the bomb he was carrying, killing himself. Security forces have cordoned off resorts in Sinai, checking everyone entering and leaving, and are combing the mountainous interior, aided by local Bedouins who the police say are cooperating in the hunt for the bombs' perpetrators. Following Monday's exchange of gunfire however, the total number of suspects killed by security forces reached six. On Sunday, three suspects were shot dead in a gun battle that erupted between police and militants in north Sinai. The police have identified one of the bodies as Selim Attallah Hussein El-Deuot -- a Bedouin from north Sinai wanted by the police in connection with the October 2004 Taba and July 2005 Sharm El-Sheikh bombings. On Sunday, the police further said the mastermind of the Sinai blasts had been identified as , also wanted in connection with the Taba and Sharm El-Sheikh bombings. DNA tests are currently underway to identify body parts believed to belong to the suicide bombers recovered from the sea. Police now believe that all the Sinai attacks were undertaken by the same group, Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad (Unification and Holy War). Following the 24 April attacks an undisclosed number of suspects were detained for questioning though no charges have yet been made. Among those detained in Dahab are three Egyptian computer engineers who were reportedly carrying fake papers and arrived in the resort a day before the bombings and then attempted to leave an hour after the attacks. The Dahab bombings occurred a day before Sinai Liberation Day, a national holiday marking the 1982 Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula. The explosions came a day after Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden issued a call to Muslims to support Al-Qaeda in resisting what he described as "a war against Islam". The Egyptian government has repeatedly said that the bombings in Sinai were the work of locals without international connections.
