Luxor massacre

On the morning of November 17, 1997, six gunmen disguised as security forces attacked the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Dayr al-Bahri, an archaeological site near Luxor, Egypt. Armed with knives, automatic weapons, and machetes, they killed two guards and then systematically murdered 58 foreign tourists and four Egyptians over 45 minutes. Many bodies, particularly those of women, were mutilated.

A leaflet found on the body of an elderly Japanese man read "no to tourists in Egypt" and was signed by al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya, also known as the Gama'a al-Islamiyya. Among the dead were a five-year-old British child, her mother and grandmother, and four Japanese honeymoon couples. Twenty-six people survived.

The attackers hijacked a bus but encountered a police and military checkpoint. One was wounded in the ensuing shootout; the rest fled to nearby hills, where their bodies were later found in a cave, apparently from a group suicide. Leaflets found at the scene called for the release of Omar Abdel-Rahman from a U.S. prison, claimed the attack was a gesture to exiled leader Mustafa Hamza, or declared revenge for imprisoned and executed comrades.

Responsibility

The attack was believed to have been orchestrated by exiled leaders of al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya to undermine the group's own July 1997 nonviolence initiative, damage Egypt's economy, and provoke government repression that would boost anti-government support. Instead, it caused internal splits and led to a ceasefire. In June 2013, the group denied involvement.

Reaction

The massacre occurred an hour before a state visit by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Prince-Consort Claus. President Hosni Mubarak replaced Interior Minister Hassan Al Alfi with General Habib el-Adly. The Swiss Federal Police later concluded that Osama bin Laden financed the operation. The attack devastated Egypt's tourism industry, especially in Luxor, with visitor numbers remaining low for years, a situation worsened by the September 11 attacks and later bombings in Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab.

The massacre turned Egyptian public opinion overwhelmingly against the militants, leading to a sharp decline in terrorist attacks. Organizers quickly distanced themselves: al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya leader Refa'i Ahmed Taha claimed the attackers only intended a hostage-taking, others falsely blamed different groups, Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman accused Israel, and Ayman Zawahiri claimed the Egyptian police were responsible.