Egyptian troops mistakenly shoot at Mexican tourist group, killing 12

Egyptian troops accidentally kill 12 Mexicans and Egyptians in tourist conovy
(Image credit: Twitter/@BBCworldservice)

On Sunday, Egyptian security forces fired at a convoy of four-wheel drive vehicles in Egypt's western desert, and "the incident resulted in the death of 12 Mexicans and Egyptians and the injury of 10 others who have been transferred to hospitals," Egypt's Interior Ministry said in a statement. There will be an investigation into why the "mistakenly dealt with" Mexican tourist group was in the restricted Wahat area, the ministry added.

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Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto condemned the attack and "demanded an exhaustive investigation by the Egyptian government." Egypt has been battling an Islamist insurgency since its military ousted President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Earlier Sunday, Islamic State said its forces had "resisted a military operation" by Egyptian forces in the same vast western desert region.

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Peter Weber

Peter Weber is a senior editor at TheWeek.com, and has handled the editorial night shift since the website launched in 2008. A graduate of Northwestern University, Peter has worked at Facts on File and The New York Times Magazine. He speaks Spanish and Italian and plays bass and rhythm cello in an Austin rock band. Follow him on Twitter.