EGYPT: EAC MEETING FOLLOWING APRIL 30 SUICIDE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CAIRO 003184

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

NEA FOR DAS DIBBLE AND NEA/ELA
DS FOR JOE MORTON AND FOR DSS AND DS/IP/NEA
ALSO FOR CA AND S/CT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER ASEC PREL CASC KCRM EG EAC
SUBJECT: EGYPT: EAC MEETING FOLLOWING APRIL 30 SUICIDE
BOMBING AND SHOOTING INCIDENT IN CAIRO

REF: A. CAIRO 3183

B. CAIRO 2956

C. CAIRO 2898

D. CAIRO 2799

E. CAIRO 2773

F. CAIRO 2745

G. CAIRO 2744

H. CAIRO 2743


1. (U) This message is sensitive but unclassified, please
handle accordingly. Not for Internet distribution.


2. (SBU) On May 1, the Charge d'Affaires convened post's
Emergency Action Committee to review details of the April 30
suicide bombing in downtown Cairo and shooting incident (ref
A),as well as to evaluate the Mission's security posture and
appropriate Consular response. Attending the meeting were
RSO, ORA, CONS, DAO, OMC, CLO, DEA, LEGAT, ECPO, RMO, NAMRU,
PAO, MSG, MGMT, and USAID.

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Evaluating the Facts of the April 30 attacks
--------------


3. (SBU) Opening the meeting, the Charge and RSO reviewed
the latest information concerning the nature of the April 30
incidents. In the first incident, an Egyptian male was
killed by a bomb he was carrying. The male has been
identified by Egyptian security contacts as Ehab Yousry
Yassin Ali, sought in connection with the April 7 bombing in
the Khan El Khalili bazaar. (Note. This individual was
misidentified in an earlier government statement and in ref A
as "Ihab Idris." End note.) Seven individuals near him
(including four foreign tourists) were injured. The GOE
reports that the bomb detonated when the bomber jumped from
an overpass onto Abdel Moneim Riyad Square near the Egypt
Museum. In the second, apparently related, incident, two
women were killed in a shooting. The details of the second
incident near the Citadel remain vague; the two women
(according to press reports the sister and fiance of the
April 30 suicide bomber) may have fired on a tourist bus with
a handgun. They were then shot by police or, according to
another account, one woman shot the other and then herself.
Reports indicate that both women died as a result of the
incident, one at the site of the attack and the other later
at a local hospital. Both events occurred near popular
tourist sites in Cairo.


4. (SBU) The RSO made clear that many details of the day's
events, including motives and intentions, remain unclear and
under investigation by Egyptian authorities. There are
strong indications that the April 30 incidents are related to
the April 7 bombing at the Khan Al Khalili bazaar and that
the individuals involved in both attacks are closely linked.
Police are still reportedly searching for the brother of the
April 30 bomber who has been identified as Mohamed Yousry
Yassin Ali. Press reports have also referred to an
accomplice driver, still at large, for the two women killed.
There are also reports that another member of the cell,
captured earlier on April 30, told police that the cell had
prepared other bombs.


5. (SBU) According to the Egyptian Minister of Health, two
Israelis, one Italian, one Swede, and three Egyptians were
wounded in the incident near the Egypt Museum, none fatally.
The Italian Embassy reported that their citizen is in stable
condition after initial surgery to remove schrapnel from the
explosion. She is being transported to Italy in the coming
day or two to undergo a more sensitive operation to remove
debris from her neck. The presence of nails removed from the
victims and the site of the April 30 attack indicate a
similarly constructed device as that used April 7. There are
no reports of American citizens involved in the April 30
incidents.


6. (U) Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif sought to allay
fears of a possible resurgence in Islamic extremist violence
April 30, commenting publicly his view that the latest
attacks "did not represent a pattern." Nazif stated that he
was "positive our society and the security services are able
to maintain security and safety." Later the same day, both
the Sheikh of Al Azhar and the Egyptian Grand Mufti condemned
the attacks, describing them as criminal, loathesome acts.
The Muslim Brotherhood also issued a condemnatory statement
April 30.

-------------- --------------
Evaluating the Consular Response and Travel Warning
-------------- --------------


7. (SBU) The Charge sought comments on the appropriate
Embassy response following the April 30 attacks, referring to
the April 7 attack as well as the experience of the
mid-1990's in Egypt when tourists and tourist sites were
specifically and repeatedly targeted by militant groups.
Consular noted that the Embassy switchboard and consular duty
officer had not received an unusual level of calls or
inquiries related to the April 30 incidents, possibly due to
the absence of so many expatriates from Cairo over the local
four-day holiday weekend. The EAC discussed the tenor and
content of warning language for an updated Embassy warden
notice. All agreed that repeated terror incidents in the
space of a few weeks merited a clear warning to Americans
considering travel to Cairo.


8. (SBU) The EAC engaged in considerable discussion on the
nature of the threat and the appropriate reaction. The group
weighed the unsophisticated nature of the April 7 and April
30 attacks against the uncertainty regarding how successful
the GOE has been in eliminating the cell involved and the
possibility of copycat attacks or attacks by members of this
group who may remain at large. The EAC agreed that new
travel advisory language should reference the regional Middle
East travel warning already in place and that Aemricans
should be warned to avoid crowds and tourist sites for the
next four weeks. The group decided not to change the
current, already heightened, security posture for the
official Embassy community.

--------------
Next Steps
--------------


9. (SBU) The Embassy will review all sources of information
on the threat to tourists and will convene additional EAC
meetings as appropriate. The warden system will be reviewed
for its effectiveness, and the embassy website will post any
new travel advisory information. The Charge closed the
meeting noting that the EAC would need to be vigilant in
reviewing the security situation for upcoming visits of
American officials and events involving the American
community.

--------------
Draft Warden Message
--------------


10. (U) On May 1, Post delivered the following notice to
American citizens registered at the Embassy and also posted
the notice on the U.S. Embassy website. Begin text of notice:

Warden Notice:

On Saturday afternoon, April 30th, there were two deadly
attacks in Cairo that resulted in serious injury to tourists.
One was a bombing just north of the Egyptian Museum and the
other a shooting near the Citadel. Seven people (including
foreign tourists) were injured in the first attack, and all
three assailants in the two attacks are reported to have
died. No Americans were injured in either of the two
attacks, both of which occurred adjacent to tourist areas.

The Government of Egypt believes that both attacks were
linked to the April 7 bombing in the Khan El Khalili bazaar
that killed four, including an American. The Egyptian
Government further believes that the three incidents were
carried out by one small and unsophisticated terror cell that
has almost been eliminated. It is difficult for the U.S.
Government to independently assess the Egyptian Government,s
claim concerning the viability of this terror cell.

All U.S. citizens are strongly advised to consider avoiding
tourist areas in Cairo until the threat environment becomes
clearer. U.S. citizens should not linger amidst crowds of
tourists in public areas. In line with the Middle East and
North African Public announcement, Americans should continue
to be exceedingly careful and maintain a heightened awareness
of their surroundings. Any suspicious behavior should be
reported to authorities. The Embassy intends to review
this advice on May 15, 2005 or before if additional
information becomes available.

As the U.S. Government develops information on any potential
security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares
credible threat information through its consular information
program documents, available on the Internet at
http://travel.state.gov. For further information, U.S.
citizens may call the Embassy,s American Citizen Services
Unit on 797-2301 during business hours, Sunday to Thursday
from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. For emergencies after
business hours and on weekends, U.S. citizens can contact the
Embassy Duty Officer via the Embassy switchboard on 797-3300.
The Embassy is located at 5 Latin America Street, Garden
City, Cairo. General information about Egypt is available
at the Embassy,s website www.usembassy.egnet.net. The most
recent State Department Worldwide Caution Public
Announcement, and Middle East and North Africa Public
Announcement contain additional security information. These
documents can be found at www.travel.state.gov.

Finally, all residents of and visitors to Egypt are urged to
register their presence via the Internet
athttps://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/h ome.asp to
facilitate communications.

End text of message.


Visit Embassy Cairo's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/cairo

You can also access this site through the
State Department's Classified SIPRNET website.

CORBIN