Mexican FM urges probe into Egypt killings

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CAIRO

Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu has called for a thorough investigation into the death on Sunday of eight Mexican tourists during a botched anti-terror raid in Egypt.

At least 12 people – eight Mexican nationals and four Egyptians – were killed on Sunday during a failed counter-terrorism operation carried out by Egyptian security forces in the Western Desert near the Libyan border.

Another ten people were injured in the incident.

Speaking at a joint press conference with her Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, Massieu said her government expected Egypt to launch a “transparent and thorough investigation” into the incident.

Shoukry, for his part, described the deaths of the Mexican tourists as “regrettable”.

He expressed his regret for the “unfortunate circumstances” that prompted Massieu to visit the country, stressing Cairo’s “deepest sympathy, regret and condolences to the government and people of Mexico."

At a joint press conference, Shoukry read out a statement in which he reiterated Egypt's commitment to “carry out a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation” into the killings.

Massieu arrived in Cairo earlier Wednesday to discuss the incident with Egyptian officials.

During her visit, she met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, along with survivors of the attack.

On Tuesday, al-Sisi telephoned Mexican President Pena Nieto to express his condolences over the incident.

The Egyptian government insists that the tourists had entered an off-limit area and had been mistakenly killed while security forces were pursuing armed militants.

Egypt has been roiled by turmoil since the military ousted Mohamed Morsi – the country's first freely elected president – in a 2013 coup.