Police search for six Pakistanis as Sharm el-Sheik attack probe widens

  • 12/15/2022
  • 21:51
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Sharm Al-Sheikh, July 25, SPA -- Police investigators saidMonday that they were searching for six Pakistani men asthe probe into the weekend's terrorist attack at this RedSea resort widened. Police are circulating photographs of the six who haveapparently been missing since before the attacks atcheckpoints in and around this southern Sinai resort city.An Associated Press correspondent who saw the images saidthe men appeared to be between the ages of 20 and 30. The involvement of Pakistanis in the attack in Sharmel-Sheik would be unprecedented, as non-Egyptians haverarely been linked to attacks here. It would also beextremely difficult for a group of young Pakistanis not tobe noticed in Sharm, one of the heaviest policed cities inEgypt and a favorite place of residence for President HosniMubarak. An official at the Pakistan Embassy in Cairo said hisembassy was in contact with Egyptian authorities over theissue of the missing Pakistanis. "But they have not officially informed us that thePakistanis are suspected of involvement in the bombing.They are only saying: 'We are searching for them. We cannottrace them," said Khalid Ahmed, a counselor at thePakistani mission. "It is very difficult for us to confirm whether anyPakistani was in Sharm el Sheik but it is possible thatsomeone may have been there. I have a strong belief thatPakistanis cannot be involved in terrorism here," he said. Many Pakistanis use Egypt as a route to travel to Europeto find jobs, he said. Last week, police arrested between40 and 45 Pakistanis in the Mediterranean city ofAlexandria for being illegal immigrants. Police have detained more than 70 people in Sharm andother parts of the Sinai Peninsula during theinvestigation, which is also following different threads,including possible Palestinian involvement and whether theattacks were linked to last October's bombings in two otherSinai resorts.--SPA1255 Local Time 0955 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/279023

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