Terror on the Beach 4/24/06
April 24, 2006 — -- We begin with bloodshed on the beaches of Egypt, as terrorists strike a resort on the Red Sea at dinner time, when the streets were crowded with vacationers and tourists. Three nearly simultaneous blasts tore through the low-key beach town of Dahab tonight, killing at least 23 and wounding more than 100 others. The attack came at the height of the spring holiday in Egypt, and it came one day after the last taped message of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, in which the terrorist icon issued a call to arms. So, was this latest act of mass murder the work of al Qaeda or is Islamic terrorism bigger than Bin Laden now? ABC's chief investigative correspondent, Brian Ross, joins us with the latest details. Brian?
BRIAN ROSS, ABC NEWS
The attack was the third of Egypt's Red Sea resort area in the last two years. Imagine repeated attacks like that on Miami Beach. And it came despite a series of highly-publicized crackdowns by Egyptian security services.
BRIAN ROSS
The bombs went off just after sunset, as vacationers crowded beach front restaurants and stores for the evening.
OWEN NORRIS, EYEWITNESS
Everyone was out having dinner and shopping.
BRIAN ROSS
Australian Owen Norris had just begun dinner.
OWEN NORRIS
We were at a restaurant two down from where the first bomb went off. It was just a massive explosion. Yeah. We sort of ran from the hotel and then ran back again to try and find friends. And there were lots of bodies around. People running with blood coming out of their faces.
BRIAN ROSS
20 of the dead were identified as Egyptian. Three for foreigners, including a German child. The US Embassy in Cairo says at least four Americans were among the injured. Officials believe the bombs were hidden in packages along the beachfront, timed to go off in rapid succession. Cairo pharmacist Mohammed Macald was in his hotel room.
MOHAMMED MACALD, EYEWITNESS
I felt amazing shaking. I thought it was like a war or something going on. I ran out, everyone started running out of their rooms and going to reception. And then the second one happened like, six, seven seconds after the first one. And then, the third one happened right after that.
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