General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is the ruler of Egypt. He ousted the elected president Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood and brought in military rule again. Unfortunately, it is not smooth going for him and though he has Morsi behind bars, the Egyptian state is threatened by a spate of terror attacks by ISIS and some new splinter groups. The latest attack is chilling as two German female tourists were stabbed to death. In addition, four other tourists were wounded. The attack took place on Friday at the Red Sea resort of Hurghada This information was given by an Egyptian security official.
There was another terror attack a few hours earlier. A police party patrolling the area around the Giza pyramids close to Cairo was attacked and five policemen were shot dead, Al Jazeera News Channel reported.
Trump and Sisi
The rule of General Sisi is under threat. He was one of the first world leaders invited by Donald Trump to Washington. Sisi hit along well with the President and despite opposition, Trump endorsed his rule. The General is on a sticky wicket as just a week earlier 23 Egyptian soldiers were killed by ISIS in the deserts of Sinai.
Terror attacks
No group has claimed responsibility for the killing of the policemen but a new terror group called Hasm could be behind the killings. The attack took place on the weekly holiday when traffic is less but there appears to have been little or no resistance from the policemen.
The terrorist looted their weapons and set the vehicle on fire. Considering the attack took place close to Cairo is cause for alarm.
The killing of the German tourists is a pointer as well. The man who reportedly swam across the sea from an island and attacked the tourists with a knife. He was young and he targeted only the foreigners and nobody else.
Egyptian economy
Sisi has his hands full as the Egyptian economy which so reliant on tourism is in the doldrums. From a peak of 15 million tourists, the numbers have dwindled to just 5.1 million and this is affecting the economy. The downslide commenced in 2011 when the so called Arab Spring uprising started.
Egypt has been rocked by deadly suicide bombings and other attacks since 2013 when Sisi ousted Morsi in a military coup.
The violence which was confined to the Sinai has now spread to the main areas of Egypt. Violent attacks against Coptic Christians and government forces are taking place.
Last word
Donald Trump will be thinking about what to do. This attack close on the heels of the recent Israeli terror attack in Jerusalem shows a deep rooted animosity against the west and minorities like Christians by a section of the population Trump will have to expand his battle against radical Muslim ideology.
