By Kim Se-jeong
Jihadist group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for throwing a bomb on a tour bus in Egypt that killed three Koreans and their local driver, AFP reported.
"One of the heroes of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis carried out the attack on a tourist bus heading towards the Zionist entity (Israel)," said a statement attributed to the group and posted on jihadist forums.
The bombing on Sunday, near the Taba border crossing with Israel, was the first targeting of tourists since the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July sparked a militant campaign that has killed scores of police and soldiers.
Meanwhile, 15 of the 31 Korean tourists who survived the bombing will arrive home
today, Korean government officials said.
The bodies of those killed will be returned as soon as flight arrangements can be made, they said.
A group of Christian tourists from Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province were on a pilgrimage visiting Turkey, Egypt and Israel when they were attacked.
The bus, carrying 35 including two Korean tour guides and two local Egyptians, exploded after a bomb was thrown into the vehicle by an unidentified man at the border check point of the city. Among those killed are one Korean tourist, two Korean guides and an Egyptian driver.
Officials said compensation for the victims will be determined through negotiations between the travel agency and the bereaved families because the government has never before had to compensate foreigners for such attacks.