3 policemen, 2 judges killed in suicide attack in Egypt's Sinai

A suicide attack on a hotel in Egypt's North Sinai's city of Al-Arish killed on Tuesday three policemen and two judges, injuring another 17.

The attack was carried out on a hotel where judges overseeing the parliamentary elections were staying.

Egypt concluded on Monday evening the second phase of its first parliamentary elections under President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

The Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM) militant group, which has changed its name to "Sinai State" and vowed loyalty to the IS, claimed responsibility for the attack in its statement.

The group, which also claimed responsibility for downing the Russian airplane that killed 224 last month, said Tuesday's attack came as a revenge for the imprisonment of female Muslims by the Egyptian army.

Egypt's army spokesman said earlier in the day that a booby-trapped car attempted to attack Swiss Inn Hotel, but army and police forces guarding the resort opened fire at the vehicle, preventing it from reaching the target and killing a suicide bomber.

During fire exchange, a second suicide bomber sneaked into the hotel's kitchen and blew himself up, while a third element militants broke into a hotel room and killed a judge, the statement added.

The army statement stressed that this attack was a desperate attempt to impede the country's completion of its plan to rebuild the country's foundations.

Meanwhile, Egypt's Interior Ministry said in a statement that police forces have repelled the attack, successfully killing the assailants.

The ministry also confirmed the death of three policemen in the attack.

Security forces have been intensively deployed in the surroundings of the hotel to arrest any suspects involved in the attack, and the scene of the attack was also cordoned off, the statement added.

Egyptian Justice Ministry confirmed that a judge and a prosecutor who were assigned to supervise the parliamentary elections in al-Arish were killed in the attack.

In May, the ABM group killed three Egyptian judges and critically injured three others in a shooting attack in al-Arish City.

These terrorist attacks have drew regional and international condemnation.

Spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry Roman Nadal said his country condemns the terrorist attack, expressing Paris's support to Egyptian people and government in the fight against terrorism.

Kuwaiti Emir Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah also sent a condolence cable to Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi over the victims of Arish terror attacks, state-run MENA news agency reported.

Egypt is witnessing anti-government attacks that have left hundreds of police and army personnel dead or injured since the military ousted former Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July 2013 in response to protests against his rule.

Most of the anti-state attacks were claimed by the ABM group. Endit