At least two suicide bombers killed four people, including two policemen and a judge, on Tuesday at a hotel in the Sinai Peninsula, according to an official source, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State branch (EI) in Egypt.
The first of these suicide bomber blew up his car full of explosives when police tried to prevent cross the security barrier Swiss Hotel in the capital of the province of North Sinai, Al Arish, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
"Then there was a shootout between police and another suicide bomber tried to enter the facility, which activated his explosive belt," he said.
In addition to the two suicide bombers, two police officers, a judge and a civilian were killed, he said.
"Sinai Province", the Egyptian arm of EI, often committing attacks against police and soldiers, claimed the explosion of Al Arish in his usual Twitter account.
A delegation of judges who were responsible for overseeing the recount of legislative elections that are currently taking place in Egypt was in the hotel at the time of the attack.
North Sinai is the bastion of the jihadist group calling itself Ansar Bait al Maqdis and now calls himself "Province of Sinai" to highlight their membership of the "Caliphate" proclaimed by the IS group in parts of Iraq and Syria.
AFP