NORTH SINAI TERRORIST ATTACKS HIT MFO AND EGYPTIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 002453 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR S-SO, S/CMS, S/CT, DS, NEA/ELA NSC STAFF FOR SINGH E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/26/2016 TAGS: PTER PREL EG KMFO SUBJECT: NORTH SINAI TERRORIST ATTACKS HIT MFO AND EGYPTIAN POLICE; KEY QUESTIONS REMAIN IN DAHAB INCIDENT Classified by DCM Stuart Jones fr reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Two suicideattacks occurred at approximately 11:10 and 11:3 (local) April 26 in the vicinity of MFO's North Camp in the North eastern Sinai. In the first attack, a suicide bomber allegedly wearing a belt bomb threw himself on the hood of an unarmored MFO Chevy Blazer, shattering the windshield. The vehicle's four occupants (two Egyptians, one Norwegian, and one New Zealander) sustained minor injuries from the glass. In a second attack, occurring several kilometers from the site of the first attack, a man wearing a belt bomb, riding a bicycle or a moped, blew himself up next to a police vehicle. Reports indicate the police official in that vehicle was not injured. According to press and GOE reports, both suicide bombers died. ¶2. (SBU) According to MFO officials, the GOE has offered to place additional security around the perimeter of the Camp. MFO has also called all vehicles that were outside the North Camp back to camp. ¶3. (SBU) The April 26 attacks follow the August 15 IED incident and come on the heels of the Dahab bombings. Although no group has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, ongoing investigations may clarify the attackers identities and motivations. ¶4. (C) Separately, key questions remain about the nature of the April 24 bombings in Dahab. In particular, the GOE has apparently not yet determined whether the explosives were delivered by suicide bombers or pre-placed and remotely detonated. The GOE had originally maintained that the bombs were remotely detonated, but the discovery by divers of body parts in the Red Sea has reopened speculation that suicide bombers could have been involved. Most commentary in the Egyptian press has been defiant in tone and derisive toward the bombers. The popular pro-government weekly Al Musawwar ran with a hastily prepared new cover bearing a grisly picture of a bombing vicim and the question: Who did it? Was it the Mosad? Or Al Qaida? Or a new organization? RICCIARDONE