Egyptian security kills 40 people in Giza and North Sinai

The Egyptian Interior Ministry announced the killing of about 40 people whom it described as terrorists in an exchange of fire with the security forces while they were in three locations in the governorates of Giza and North Sinai, less than 24 hours after the killing of three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian tour guide in a bomb explosion while passing a tourist bus in Giza.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry said in a statement that the groups targeting it "were planning operations targeting Egyptian celebrations of New Year and Christmas, as well as members of the armed forces, police and Christian houses of worship."

The ministry statement did not say whether any of the dead were linked to Friday's attack on the tourist bus.

Giza and El Arish
The Egyptian authorities pointed out that thirty of the dead were killed in two places in Giza adjacent to Cairo, while the other ten were killed in the city of Arish in the province of North Sinai, where the militants of the organization of the Islamic state.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry published what it said were photographs of the bodies of the dead, but their faces were concealed, and appeared in the pictures an automatic rifle or a machine gun next to each body.

An Egyptian security official told the French Press Agency that the raids "took place early on Saturday."

Giza, west of Cairo, witnessed two raids according to the Interior Ministry statement. The first killed 14 people, while the second killed 16.

According to the Anatolia Agency, quoting the Egyptian Interior Ministry, the first operation in the Giza governorate targeted a residential complex in 6th of October City, west of Cairo, while the second operation targeted another residential complex in the oasis road west of Cairo, and targeted a third residential community in the city of Arish.

The killing of tourists
The operations of the Egyptian security authorities came hours after the killing of three Vietnamese tourists and their tour guide yesterday evening in an improvised explosive device targeting a bus carrying them in the street Marioutia Giza, four kilometers from the pyramids, and no one claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Egyptian Attorney General issued his directives to the investigating authorities to determine the reasons and how the attack on the tourist bus, the first of its kind in Egypt since July 2017.

Last week, the Egyptian authorities announced a military and security alert to secure places of worship and vital facilities in conjunction with Christians celebrating Christmas, which lasts until January 7.