Government sources have stated that the incident on Matrouh road yesterday that left five policemen and four ‘militants’ dead was not a ‘terror attack.’
According to a government source, soldiers ‘mistakenly’ opened fire on the four men after suspecting them of being terrorists, when in fact they were local civilians. This version of events has been corroborated by a former member of parliament who spoke to Al-Ahram stating that those killed included a local businessman.
The ‘suspected militants’ were killed after officers opened fire on them at Al Alamein in front of the up-scale resort town Marina at gate 6.
Meanwhile, a government source has further added that the four conscripts and one police officer killed near Marina were killed after their vehicle crashed into a concrete barrier.
Media had reported on Tuesday that clashes between armed forces and militants erupted on a coastal highway along Egypt’s northern Mediterranean coast leaving five policemen and four militants killed in an attack targeting a police car.
The highway leading to several popular tourist resorts was shut down after an alleged exchange of gunfire that occurred at the Kilo 159 of the Alexandria Matrouh road near the city of Al-Dabaa, a city in the province of Matrouh.
Mostafa Darwish, an aide to the interior ministry, reported that security forces were informed by the National Security that a car carrying weaponries and explosives would travel on the Matrouh-Alamein road. However, government sources now state that those involved in the incident were not terrorists.
The ‘suspected militants’ were killed after officers opened fire on them at Al Alamein in front of the up-scale resort town Marina at gate 6, reported Al-Youm7.
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