Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini on Tuesday condemned the "barbarous" bombing at the Egyptian Sinai resort of Dahab which killed at least 23 people and injured at least sixty. Three Italian nationals were injured and have now returned home.
"Italy firmly condemns the odious acts of violence which have struck Egypt, in the conviction that they will not weaken the determination of countries allied by a commitment to combating and defeating the plague of terrorism," Fini said in a message of condolence to his Egyptian counterpart Abu Gheit.
He sent "profound" solidarity to the families of the victims.
The foreign ministry, which is bringing home three wounded Italians Tuesday night, warned nationals to stay away from Sinai - for their own safety and so as not to impede rescue work.
Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi urged the international community to forge a "united" front to respond to terror threats.
The three blasts that struck Dahab late Monday were probably from time bombs planted in the ground rather than carried by suicide bombers, security officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts but the attack bore the hallmarks of a shadowy group that has made two previous multi-bomb attacks on Egypt's Red Sea coast in the last two years.
