Morsi-appointed Luxor governor resigns

Tourism workers and activists in Luxor protested against a newly appointed Islamist governor and blocked his office on Tuesday June 18, 2013. Photo:AP

Adel el-Khayat, named by President Mohammed Morsi as governor of Luxor, has resigned.

He is a member of the Construction and Development party, the political arm of Gamaa Islamiya, which waged an armed insurgency against the State starting in 1992 and attacked police, Coptic Christians and tourists. In November 1997, gunmen from the group attacked tourists at Luxor’s 3,400-year-old Hatshepsut Temple, killing 58.

In a brief statement read at a news conference on Sunday, el-Khayat said he had decided to resign to prevent bloodshed, a reference to clashes between his supporters and opponents outside the governor’s office in Luxor.