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Two German holidaymakers killed in Hurghada knife attack

Two German women holidaymakers were killed and other people injured in Friday’s beach knife attack at an Egyptian Red Sea resort.

The assailant reportedly shouted at Egyptians to get out of the way so he could attack foreigners.

The attacker swam from a public beach in the coastal town of Hurghada to the Zahabia Hotel and then began a stabbing spree that took him to the neighbouring Sunny Days El Palacio resort.

He was captured as he tried to swim away from the scene on Friday. The attacker was in his mid-twenties and his motives for the assault are not clear, the Egyptian interior ministry said. He was armed with a large knife.

An eyewitness told the Masry al-Yom newspaper that the attacker shouted at Egyptian hotel staff to clear a path as he targeted foreigners on the beach. “Go away, I don’t want you Egyptians, you are not wanted,” he reportedly shouted.

The women killed were both German and the other victims are believed to be from central and eastern Europe, Egyptian officials said.

An Egyptian security official quoted by Associated Press said the victims of the attack included two Ukrainian tourists, three from Serbia and one from Poland. It is believed the Ukrainian victims were both women.

The official said the attacker stabbed the tourists in the face, neck, and feet. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to speak to the media, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Egyptian officials said it was not clear if the attack was ideologically motivated or if the man was mentally disturbed.

Pictures circulating on social media apparently showed the wounded attacker being carried away from the beach in a trolley while several men held him down. Other pictures showed a wounded tourist being carried through the lobby of a hotel.

Major General Ahmed Abdullah, the governor of Hurghada, said: “The city of Hurghada has witnessed an attack on a number of people today, which led to the death of two foreigners residing in the city. The local security authorities arrested the accused and he is under investigation now.”

In updated travel advice, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “On 14 July there was a stabbing incident involving tourists at a resort in Hurghada reportedly causing injuries and fatalities.

“If you’re in the area, you should follow the advice of the local authorities and your travel company.”

Egypt’s Red Sea resorts like Hurghada were once a popular destination for Britons and other tourists but a string of high-profile terror attacks have scared away many visitors.

The Egyptian branch of Islamic State is believed to have blown up a Russian passenger jet in October 2015 after take off from Sharm el Sheikh airport, killing all 224 people aboard.

The FCO continues to ban flights to and from Sharm el Sheikh and the UK but does not advise against travel to Cairo, Alexandria, the tourist areas along the Nile river – including Luxor, Qina, Aswan, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings – and the Red Sea resorts of Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada.

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