RIYADH, 24 July 2005 — Sharm El-Sheikh is the kind of place that would make a Westerner feel comfortable, at least it did before the recent bombing.

Crowded with Westerners, nightclubs and the kind of shops they would like to find, Sharm El-Sheikh had a lot going for it. Unfortunately the same qualities that made it a haven for Western tourists also attracted others who had other things in mind — namely to rain down death and destruction.

What is most disturbing, however, is how comments made there a few weeks ago about lax security now seem tragically prophetic.

In June, I was one of a group of journalists from the Gulf invited to visit Sharm El-Sheikh and inspect the tourist facilities of the resort city.

During the visit, I had a talk with a Lebanese colleague who works for a Kuwaiti newspaper. He told me about his experience during the Lebanese Civil War and how he came to cope with the terrorist acts that rocked Kuwait recently. We engaged in a conversation about how easy it would be for terrorists to target a place like Sharm El-Sheikh. Coming from a country that repeatedly has been targeted by terrorist attacks, I found myself in a position to talk about terrorist threats since the rest of my colleagues had not had a near-death experience. All they knew about terrorism doesn’t exceed what they have exposed to through media.

We both agreed that Sharm El-Sheikh would be an easy target for any terrorist group seeking to carry out an operation there. Any group of terrorists wearing explosive belts could easily reach any location in the area; cars packed with explosives would find no difficulty reaching crowded places.

My Egyptian colleagues in the group insisted Egyptian security forces were capable of thwarting any terrorist threat. Recalling the bombing of the Taba Resort and earlier terrorist attacks that took place in Cairo a month earlier, it seems that may not be the case.

The discussion was based on my observations from a trip to Sharm El-Sheikh that lasted six days. The presence of large numbers of foreign tourists, mainly Westerners, would make Arabs feel more like they were in a Western city rather than an Arab one were it not for the presence of some Egyptian salesmen. In a visit to Nima’a Bay that was targeted in yesterday’s attacks, large numbers of tourists roamed the place all night and through the early hours of the morning. This is an indication that the timing of the bombing was not a coincidence but was rather carefully planned. A little surveillance would be enough to choose the target and timing. The pedestrian lane, a three kilometer-long, 100-meter wide street, is so packed with tourists strolling throughout night that it’s almost difficult to walk freely. On both sides of the road there are nightclubs, bars and casinos in addition to traditional coffee shops. The way tourists dress and the freedom they enjoy is enough provocation for any extremist.

The level of security did not match the overwhelming presence of foreign tourists and didn’t respond to the area’s recent volatility.

My Egyptian organizers of the trip insisted security was tight — making it very difficult for anyone to carry out a terrorist attack in the area. From the discussion, it became clear they were referring to difficulties, delays, questioning and inconvenience the Egyptian citizens encounter when visiting the area where every one is subjected to a thorough search.

That may not be the picture for someone who has been involved in covering terrorist related incidents. It could be easily noticed that in Sharm El-Sheikh the police presence was weak, and the forces were poorly equipped. A motorist could easily access any area in the bay without being stopped. “Hopefully, nothing bad would happen,” said one officer.

Many entrances to the small market were unprotected, making it easier to carry out multiple terrorist operations in several. Because the police focus more on Egyptians, non-Egyptians can act with impunity.

The geography of the place also makes it an easy target. Apart from the main street and the city center, the rest of the place is a vast desert with scattered mountains making it an ideal place for preparing explosives and booby-trapped cars.