Belgium warns its citizens of travelling to Sinai

On Friday the Belgian foreign minister, Didier Reynders, warned Belgian citizens against travelling to the Egyptian resort of Sharm Al-Sheikh in the Sinai Peninsula because of a “serious threat.”

Reynders did not give more details about the threat, but his warning came several days after an attack against a tourist bus that resulted in the death of three South Korean tourists. The jihadist group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to Reynders the warning was discussed with other European countries such as Germany and the Netherlands. These countries issued similar warnings to their citizens too.

Mass media widely reported a previous caution by Brussels to its citizens, which only warned against travelling to the Gulf of Aqaba. Friday’s warning included the whole of the Sinai Peninsula.

Meanwhile, Switzerland has issued a similar warning. Media reports said that it warned its citizens to take extra care, especially in public places and around governmental offices, because of what it called: “indications of a concrete terrorist threat against tourist targets in the Sinai.”

Ansar Beit al-Maqdis said that the attack was part of its economic war against this “regime of traitors” in Egypt.

Sinai is a popular tourist destination for Europeans. The area has not witnessed such violence as has taken place during the period between the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and the military coup against the freely elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.