Israel begint biologische oorlogsvoering tegen Egypte

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Egypt: Sinai shark attacks could be Israeli plot

After shark attack leaves woman dead in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egyptian official says Mossad could have put shark in sea to harm Egypt's tourism.

A possible connection between Israel and the shark attack that left a 70-year-old German woman dead in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday is not unfounded, according to South Sinai Governor Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha, quoted by Reuters on Monday.

Some have suggested that the shark attack could have been part of a secret plan by Mossad to harm Egyptian tourism.

"What is being said about the Mossad throwing the deadly shark (in the sea) to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question, but it needs time to confirm," Shousha was quoted as saying by state news site egynews.net, according to Reuters.

Egyptians have previously blamed Israel for other problems such as drug and weapon smuggling, and have said it supports media that seek to portray Egypt in a negative light.

According to local diving experts in Sharm el-Sheikh, shark attacks are extremely rare in the area and many were baffled by why so many tourists were attacked in the Red Sea in recent weeks.

"Egypt is full of rumors and one does not know what to believe," Gasser Mohamed, a diving instructor at CFun Divers center in South Sinai told Reuters. "I see that there are a lot of sharks in the sea and the possible rarity of tuna fish due to over-fishing seems to be causing the attacks.

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Experts shoot down theory that Israel is behind shark attacks

Sharm governor backs theory that shark involved in attacks is controlled by Israel via GPS

A Sharm El Sheikh marine biologist slammed the circulating theory that the shark attacks were part of an Israeli conspiracy, but the city's governor supports it.

Mahmoud Hanafy, professor of marine biology at the Suez Canal University, told AhramOnline that it is "sad," that Egyptian national TV helped perpetuate the theory that the shark, which injured four tourists and killed one this week, may have been controlled by Israel.

Speaking on the public TV program "Egypt Today" yesterday, a specialist introduced as "Captain Mustafa Ismael, a famous diver in Sharm El Sheikh," said that the sharks involved in the attack are ocean sharks and do not live in Egypt's waters.

When asked by the anchor how the shark entered Sharm El Sheikh waters, he burst out, "no, who let them in."

Urged to elaborate, Ismael said that he recently got a call from an Israeli diver in Eilat telling him that they captured a small shark with a GPS planted in its back, implying that the sharks were monitored to attack in Egypt's waters only.

"Why would these sharks travel 4000 km and not have any accidents until it entered Sinai?" said Ismael.

Earlier today, General Abdel Fadeel Shosha, the governor of South Sinai, backed Ismael's theory. In a phone call to the TV program, he said that it is possible that Israeli intelligence, Mossad, is behind the incident and that they are doing it to undermine the Egyptian tourism industry. He added that Egypt needs time to investigate the theory.

Hanafy refuted the allegations, saying that the Oceanic White Tip, blamed for the attacks, does indeed exist in Egypt's waters. He also added that the existence of a GPS inside the shark does not mean there is a conspiracy at play, adding that these "tracking devices" are often used by marine biologists to study sea life.

"Here in Egypt we put these devices on turtles, in danger of becoming extinct, so that we can watch their behaviour, see where they live, feed and lay their eggs," explains Hanafy. "It sends signals to the satellite every time the creature appears on the surface of the ocean. It is sad that they made a person whose only knowledge of sharks comes from the movie Jaws go on national TV to propagate this mumbo-jumbo."

This morning, a team of Egyptian and foreign divers and photographers started surveying the popular diving spots of Sharm El Sheikh, the Ras Mohamed Protectorate, and Tiran.

According to General Shosha, the surveillance will be conducted for 72 hours in diving areas and 24 hours in swimming and snorkelling areas.

Shosha added that shark experts from Australia and the US were expected to arrive soon. He also added that several beaches are temporarily closed and tourists are currently redirected to alternative beaches in the Ras Mohamed Protectorate, and for the first time the Nabq Protectorate has been opened to accomodate tourists.

Earlier today, Hisham Gabr of the Chamber of Diving and Water Sports said that Sharm El Sheikh will be open for diving tomorrow, but only for divers with at least 50 logged dives.