The exact number of dead in the bombings on April 24 that struck the peaceful diving and resort town of Dahab, Egypt has yet to be determined . Some reports read 22; others say upward of 30 or more. On April 24 and 25, nations scrambled to determine if their citizens were among the dead or wounded tourists targeted in the attack. Israel sent envoys to determine if Israelis who had visited the Peninsula in the thousands the week prior over the Passover holiday had been among the casualties. Australia reported that two of its citizens were wounded, and the United Kingdom reported the same. On April 25, Egypt announced that a German child had been killed, along with two other foreigners.
Previous terrorist attacks in Egypt, striking Luxor , Taba , and Sharm al-Sheikh have sought to inflict casualties among foreigners, who become accessible targets for terrorist rage against the governments and nations they represent. While a secondary target has been the Egyptian government, which suffers embarrassment and economic damage when terrorists attack its tourist industry, this is the first attack that seems to have been calibrated to target both Egyptian citizens and their government.
The attack has been called ?the Massacre of Shem al-Nassim? in the Arab press for striking during the Egyptian holiday of Shem al-Nassim, when Egyptians flood the resort towns of the Sinai Peninsula. Terrorists bypassed the thousands of Israelis who came to the Sinai a week prior during their Passover holiday, waiting until they had departed and were replaced by Egyptians, both Coptic Christians and Muslims. Since the 9/11 attack and subsequent attacks, it has been assumed that the premium targets for terrorists are citizens of the western countries they loathe, an analysis made judging from attacks, thwarted attacks, and Jihadist literature. Secondary targets were the ?apostate? rulers of Muslim countries and other Muslim ?blasphemers? like author Salman Rushdie and Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
However, the targeting of some recent plots and attacks reflect that the internal enemy or the near enemy may be the new top target for some groups. The attacks in Dahab were coordinated to kill Egyptians celebrating an ancient holiday with pagan, pre-Islamic roots. Many of the Egyptians who can afford to vacation during the holiday are among the wealthy in the grossly economically stratified society. And, while it may be possible to have a pious, Muslim vacation, these resort towns are known to cater to non-Muslim or secular tastes, with casinos, bars, nightclubs, and western-style bathing suits at beaches. Many Egyptians who vacation there would fall into the category of ?apostates,? as defined in the al-Qaeda ideology, people who have turned their backs on the true religion.
During the Amman hotel attacks , Ali Hussein Ali al-Shamari and failed suicide bomber Sajida Rishawi chose to target an Arab wedding party in the Radisson hotel, in spite of the presence of foreign targets elsewhere in the lobby. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula , in its last two attacks has targeted Saudi national oil infrastructure and Saudi government targets , a departure from previous operations seeking western casualties. A plotted and thwarted attack in Amman, Jordan in 2004 against Jordanian security and government buildings was calculated to kill thousands of Jordanians . The Dahab attacks seem to have followed this pattern of favoring the near enemy over the far one.
The problem for terrorists is that starting a fight with the near enemy brings the wrath of neighbors and fellow citizens, who are ideally the very population among which they need to hide, gain support, and recruit. Targeting Egyptians and attacking the tourist industry, which provides millions of them with jobs, will likely be counterproductive to the Jihadist movement in Egypt. However, in spite of the anticipated backlash against such terrorist operations in Egypt, the failure of the Egyptian government to act with any speed to enact an improved counterterrorism and security strategy means that this is unlikely to be the last attack to strike these peaceful Sinai towns or other enclaves like them in the main cities of Cairo and Alexandria.