2 Israeli tourists and Egyptian guide shot dead in Egypt ‘by policeman’

Two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian guide were shot dead on Sunday in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, the Israeli government said.

A policeman alleged to have carried out the shooting in the Sawari district of Alexandria was in custody, two Egyptian security sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed the deaths in a statement.

“This morning during a visit of Israeli tourists in Alexandria, Egypt, a local opened fire at them, murdering two Israeli citizens and their Egyptian guide,” it said. “In addition, there is a wounded Israeli in moderate condition.”

The attack happened at the Pompey’s Pillar historic Roman site in the coastal city.

The policeman fired “at random” at an Israeli tour group using “his personal weapon”, said the Extra News television channel, which has close ties to Egyptian security agencies.

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It said the suspected assailant was immediately detained, in the first such attack on Israelis in Egypt in decades.

The Egyptian interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

The shooting took place the day after an attack against Israel by Islamist group Hamas, for which Israel vowed “mighty vengeance” in response. Hundreds of Palestinians and Israelis have been killed, and many more wounded.

Security forces quickly cordoned off the site of the attack in Egypt.

Graphic footage posted on social media showed two figures lying motionless on the ground of what appeared to be a tourist site. Another was seen being helped by a group of men. A woman was heard screaming for an ambulance.

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Egypt made peace with Israel decades ago, the first Arab country to do so, and has long served as a key intermediary between Israel and the Palestinians.

However, despite diplomatic relations, Israel remains largely unpopular among Egyptians, especially during bouts of violence.

In June, three Israeli soldiers were killed in a firefight at the border with Egypt by a member of the Egyptian security forces who crossed the border “in pursuit of drug traffickers”, according to the Egyptian army.

On Saturday, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned of a “vicious cycle of tensions threatening regional stability and security”.

Additional reporting by Associated Press, Agence France-Presse