Deadly Blasts Rock Egyptian Resort

Three nearly simultaneous explosions rocked the Egyptian resort city of Dahab on Monday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 150 in a terror attack at the height of the tourist season.

Police said the explosions hit the central part of the city where there are many shops, restaurants, bars and guesthouses. The blasts ripped through the town at 7:15 p.m., shortly after nightfall, when the streets would have been jammed with tourists — mainly Egyptians, Europeans, Israelis and expatriates living in Egypt.

Egyptian authorities say the attacks were not the work of suicide bombers and that instead terrorists used timers to detonate the bombs, reports CBS News correspondent David Hawkins. A witness told CBS News that the explosions were relatively small and didn't even rattle nearby hotels.

CBS News State Department reporter Charles Wolfson reports the U.S. embassy in Cairo has no word yet about possible American casualties. There are reports of "several" Americans injured, but the reports have not yet been confirmed by State Department officials.

The attackers struck a day after al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden issued a taped warning that ordinary Western citizens had become legitimate targets of his terrorist organization because of their support of governments that he said were conducting a "crusader war against Islam."

Michael Scheuer, an expert on Middle East terrorism, told CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer that the attack was similar to other al Qaeda attacks which were deployed at the height of the tourist season in Egypt.

"It has al Qaeda's trademarks all over it, but again al Qaeda is becoming a movement rather than an organization," Scheuer said. "We see a lot of people patterning their behavior after al Qaeda."

CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports that in response to the Egypt bombings and the release of the tape, a Homeland Official said: "We know of no specific intelligence that would suggest there is any imminent attack planned or any imminent threat to the United States."

"The bombings in Egypt do not change that," the official said.

President Hosni Mubarak, whose economy is heavily dependent on tourism, said the blasts were a "sinful terrorist action."

A witness, Serge Loussararian, told CNN that an explosion took place in an area with restaurants and bars. "We heard the explosion and then we saw a big light. And a lot of people running," he said.

Another witness said the Al Capone restaurant, one of the resort area's most popular spots, was destroyed.

"At the restaurant, there is nothing there. The tables and chairs have gone, there is nothing left," Joseph Nazir, who owns a safari company in Dahab, told Britain's Press Association. "Everybody is panicking, a lot of people are crying. We will be affected by this for a long, long time."

British tourist Paul McBeath told Sky News that there had been "no warning whatsoever."

"There were just three loud bangs and people rushing around," McBeath said. "Everybody is shaken."

Security officials, who would not allow use of their names because they were not authorized to release information, said at least 22 bodies had been recovered. Dr. Muhammed Hussein at the Dahab International Hospital said 12 bodies and 23 people with serious injuries had been brought to his emergency room alone.

Terrorist attacks have killed nearly 100 people at several tourist resorts of Egypt's Sinai region in the past two years.

Bombings in the resorts of Taba and Ras Shitan, near the Israeli border, killed 34 people in October 2004. Last July, suicide attackers in the resort of Sharm el-Sheik killed at least 64 people, mainly tourists.

The Egyptian government has said the militants who carried out the bombings were locals without international connections, but other security agencies have said they suspect al Qaeda.

In Washington, a U.S. counterterrorism official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in compliance with office policy, said that it is unclear who is behind Monday's attack. U.S. officials have not ruled out the possibility that al Qaeda may be involved, but have no evidence showing that's the case.

Nor do officials have any evidence that bin Laden's tape, released Sunday, was linked to the attack, said the counterterrorism official.

President Bush condemned the explosions and pledged to bring terrorists to justice.

"I strongly condemn the killings that took place, the innocent life lost in Egypt," Mr. Bush said. "This is a heinous act against innocent civilians."

"The United States sends our condolences to the families of those who were killed," Mr. Bush said. "We keep those were injured in our thoughts and prayers and I assure the enemy this — we will stay on the offense, we will not waver, we will not tire, we will bring you to justice for the sake of peace and humanity."

For years, Dahab was popular, low-key haven for young Western backpackers — including Israelis — drawn by prime scuba diving sites and cheap hotels, which mainly consisted of huts set up along the beach. In recent years, a number of more upscale hotels have been built, including a five-star Hilton resort.

On Monday, hotels and guesthouses would have been full not only with foreigners but also Egyptians who were celebrating the long Coptic Christian Easter weekend that coincided this year with Shem al-Nessim, the ancient holiday marking the first day of spring.

Dahab is located on the Gulf of Aqaba on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula and is about 65 miles south of Taba, near the border at the southern tip of Israel.

In Israel, the country's rescue service said it had raised the alert level. Israeli Channel 10 TV reported that Israel had closed the border crossing at Taba, preventing vehicles from entering Sinai. It said a stream of Israeli vehicles were leaving Sinai.

Many Israelis travel to the Sinai for beach holidays.

Israel's ambassador in Cairo, Shalom Cohen, told Israel's Channel 10 TV that there were three explosions, hitting a hotel, a police station and a marketplace.

"We don't know of Israelis" who were hurt, he said, though some Israelis were known to be in Dahab.

Cohen said the best thing Israeli tourists in Sinai could do now would be to "go home."

He said there have been repeated warnings from the Israeli government against visiting the Sinai Desert, where Israelis have been targeted in attacks in the past.

"Unfortunately, the warnings came true," he said.

The Israeli rescue service, Magen David Adom, offered help through the International Red Cross and the Egyptian Red Crescent but has not received a reply, the service said in a statement.

It said about 20 ambulances were standing by at the Taba crossing between Israel and Egypt if needed.