Police are searching for more than a dozen Egyptians and local tribesmen believed to have played a direct role in the weekend attacks in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh, senior security officials said Wednesday, according to The AP. In the deadly explosions 88 people were killed, 44 of whom are thought to be Egyptian, with many others from various Arab countries.
The search for suspects is currently focused on Egyptian nationals thought to have formed cells in the Sinai region, according to AP. On Tuesday, nearly 70 suspects were taken into custody from local Bedouin villages; since the bombings, nearly 140 suspects have been arrested.
The more localized hunt is currently underway the suspects behind the bombings, many of whom are local Bedouin tribesman from the Sinai Peninsula.
Several of the suspects are believed to have been connected to the October Sinai bombings in Ras Shitan and Taba and have been missing ever since the October attacks.
Muslim to Muslim violence
In the wake of conclusions that those behind last Saturday's Sinai attack are Egyptian nationals, many fear a spread in similar Muslim to Muslim violence in other countries in the Middle East.
Speaking to the New York Times, Lebanon-based Hamas representative Osama Hamdan expressed concern about the phenomenon. "We have to discuss what is happening and why we are facing this issue now and how we are suppose to solve it". Hamdan went on to explain the concept of tafkir, which has been used to justify such acts against Muslims. "The concept of takfir effectively says that people who cooperate with an organization, system or even an individual who is deemed un-Islamic can themselves be deemed un-Islamic." Hamdan added however, that "The idea of takfir is not generally an acceptable idea for Muslims ".
Hamas condemned the Sinai attacks.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
