On Saturday two policemen, Colonel Ahmed Fahmi and conscript Mohamed Ramadan, were shot dead in Abu Al-Nomros, an industrial area on the outskirts of Giza, as they drove to work, reports Ahmed Morsy. A security source told Al-Ahram Weekly that the attackers, after killing the men, stole Fahmi's gun and torched his car. The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility. The shooting came less than 24 hours after two men stormed the Bella Vista Hotel in Hurghada and wounded two Austrians and a Swedish tourist. The attackers stabbed the victims in the hotel's restaurant. All three were treated in hospital and released. On Thursday one week ago at least 15 assailants aimed fireworks and birdshot at security forces and a tourist bus outside the Three Pyramids Hotel in Giza. No one was injured. IS issued a statement on Friday claiming responsibility. The terrorist group said it had carried out the attack against “Israeli tourists” in response to a call by the group's leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, to target Jews “everywhere”. According to security sources, the tourist bus targeted was being used by a group of Israeli Arabs. No one was hurt and officials say the attack seemed to be aimed at security forces. Commentators say the three attacks could mark the beginning of a campaign of escalated violence ahead of the fifth anniversary of 25 January Revolution. Security expert Khaled Okasha praised the way security forces responded to the Hurghada attack, saying it showed a “high degree of readiness” to combat terrorist operations. According to eyewitnesses, one of the assailants was waving an IS flag and shouted Allahu Akbar during the attack. A statement issued by the Interior Ministry said the attackers were armed with an air gun and knives and that one of them, Mohamed Hassan Mahfouz, 21, was killed by security forces in the course of the attack. The other assailant was injured as he fled the scene. Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou, at a press conference at the hotel on Monday, announced that the government is preparing additional security measures to protect tourists. “The welfare of tourists visiting Egypt is of the greatest importance to us and will continue to be so,” said Zaazou. “In the next few days we will announce enhanced security measures to safeguard all visitors to Egypt.” Zaazou denied reports that the attackers were carrying an ISIS flag. One of them, he said, was wearing a fake suicide vest made out of plastic. According to reports by the police and hotel management, a gun found at the scene of the attack was also made out of plastic. “Rioters and terrorists will always attempt to capitalise on anniversaries,” Okasha said, adding that “security forces are on high alert.” “Of the latest terrorist operations, the attacks on the Giza and Hurghada hotels appear random and opportunistic while the Abu Al-Nomros operation looked to be well organised.” It is the opportunistic attacks, says Okasha, that are likely to present a greater problem given that pre-emptive measures are almost impossible to carry out. Militant insurgency has risen in the two years since the ousting of former president Mohamed Morsi. Security officials are careful to avoid being identified in public. They change into civilian clothes when leaving their work places and the number plates of military cars have been exchanged for civilian ones. Major-General Mohamed Noureddin, a former assistant to the interior minister, has called for an overhaul of intelligence gathering at the Interior Ministry ahead of the anniversary of the 25 January Revolution. “The importance of information gathering cannot be overstated. It is an essential component in the success of all pre-emptive measures against terrorism.” Noureddin also called for surveillance cameras to be installed in major squares and around vital building to allow for closer monitoring of possible troublespots. Recent days have seen a major security crackdown, with political activists being detained. They include April 6 Youth Movement members Mohamed Nabil, Sherif Ali, Ayman Osama, Mahmoud Hisham and Sherif Al-Roubi, all of whom have been charged with belonging to a banned organization and calling for demonstrations. Last week a group of public figures released a statement condemning the “recent spate of activist arrests.” The statement accused security forces of adopting the same approach it used in the lead-up to the January 25 Revolution. Among the signatories are leftist leader Ahmed Fawzi, journalist Esraa Abdel-Fattah, political satirist Bassem Youssef, politician Bassem Kamel, rights lawyer Gamal Eid, politician Gameela Ismail, Popular Current Party founder Hamdeen Sabahi, Journalists' Syndicate board member Khaled Al-Balshi, rights lawyer Khaled Ali, lawyer and former parliamentarian Ziad Al-Alaimy, rights lawyer Tarek Al-Awadi, rights activist Aida Saif Al-Dawla and novelist Alaa Al-Aswani. The 70 signatories said the Interior Ministry must be held responsible for the safety of the young people who have been detained. They demanded their immediate release, as well of the release of prisoners detained under the Protest Law.
