Egypt foils suicide attack at Luxor

Police said they foiled an attempted suicide bombing Wednesday on one of Egypt's most popular ancient attractions in Luxor, in a rare assault on the country's vital tourism sector.

Egypt has been shaken by a tide of attacks claimed by jihadists since the army toppled the democratically elected government two years ago.

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Although tourists have avoided most of the carnage, there are fears further unrest could scare off the visitors who are crucial to the economy, where tourism accounts for more than a tenth of GDP.

Police said two attackers were killed and another wounded in a morning shootout close to the Karnak temple in Luxor, a popular site close to the famed Valley of the Kings.

No tourists were hurt, and visitors at the site were kept inside Karnak's ruins during the incident, a senior antiquities ministry official told AFP.

"We have enhanced security measures in place at all our sites and we continue to take every possible measure to ensure that no harm comes to anyone visiting Egypt," Tourism Minister Khaled Ramy said.

She also said two civilians and two policemen were wounded in the shootout, but not seriously.

Karnak in central Luxor was built on the ruins of Thebes, the capital of ancient Egypt.

The huge temple dedicated to the god Amon lies in the heart of a vast complex of religious buildings in the city, 700 kilometres (435 miles) south of Cairo.