The Attack on Luxor Temple 1997 - Egypt's 9/11

When the West talks about terror attacks, the November 17, 1997 attack at the Luxor ruins of Hatpshepsut is never mentioned. But it led directly to 9/11.

A mass-casualty attack, it victims were mostly Western and the attackers were Radical Islamists. It was well planned and well executed. The victims were unarmed tourists including babies and small children. The attackers spared the lives of the Egyptian tour guides while hunting down and killing the tourists using guns and knives and clubs.

During the killing, the attackers danced and praised Allah.

Swiss survivors told reporters that the "militants beat small children with guns, raped and mutilated women, and danced for joy as they massacred tourists at Hatshepsut Temple."

In hindsight, Luxor was the tipping point for both Egypt and the future. Its lessons for the terrorists were clear - it worked. It severely damaged Egypt's tourist industry - and Egypt's economy, and it showed that Law Enforcement could not stop a sapper-style attack.

In retrospect, it was Egypt's 9/11.

Egypt responded - using every means at its disposal at home and abroad to fight the terrorists. And what some in the press ignore, Egypt won the war.

But, the reaction of many who supported the Insurgency in Egypt was to leave Egypt. "The violent (Islamists) left Egypt to fight in Afghanistan and Chechnya," said an Egyptian political analyst. These men left to help other subsidiaries of Terror, Inc. In their retreat from Egypt, the losers went on to support the Taliban and the Chechens.

One of the losers was Zawahiri, who had founded the group that planned the attack in Luxor. He would later become the number 2 Al-Qaeda leader and help plan and execute the 9/11 attack on the United States.