Suicide Bomber Attacks Egyptian Tourist Spot

A suicide bomber has struck at an ancient site popular with tourists in the Egyptian city of Luxor.

The explosion happened at the Temple of Karnak, which alongside the pyramids is one of the country's most frequently visited destinations for foreign visitors.

Four Egyptians were wounded, while a security source told the state news agency no tourists were hurt.

Police said one militant detonated a bomb in the car park of the Nile-side site, while two others ended up in a firefight with security forces.

Two of the terrorists were killed and a third was wounded, according to the police.

It is the first attack on a tourist attraction in Luxor since 1997, when Islamic militants killed 58 people after opening fire on tourists at the city's 3,400-year-old Hatshepsut Temple.

Egypt's antiquities minister has issued orders for security to be beefed up at ancient sites across the country.

Tourism is vital to Luxor, which is home to some of Egypt's most famous ancient temples and pharaohs' tombs, including that of King Tutankhamun.

It had been hit by the downturn in visitors as a result of the unrest following the 2011 revolution, which toppled Hosni Mubarak, although there have been signs of recovery.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but Islamic militants are suspected.

Last year, the Sinai-based insurgent group Ansar Beit al Maqdis pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group, which has destroyed famous archaeological sites in Syria and Iraq.