There has been a lot of speculation as to what might have triggered the recent string of shark attacks off of Sharm el-Sheikh. Up until yesterday, claims of an Australian cargo ship dumping sheep carcasses into the sea seemed to be getting the most attention (see above video). However, when news agencies like Ahram Online reported that General Abdel-Fadeel Shosha, governor of South Sinai, suggested that Israel’s Mossad might be responsible for the recent shark attacks at Sharm el-Sheikh, media outlets started jumping on this “explanation” left and right.

According to Ahram Online a “specialist” introduced as Captain Mustafa Ismail claimed on the television program “Egypt Today” that the species of sharks involved in the recent attacks does not live in Egypt’s waters and implied, according to Ahram Online, that the sharks were being monitored via GPS to attack only in Egyptian waters.

The Ahram Online report goes on to state that Abdel-Fadeel Shosha, identified as governor of South Sinai, said in a phone call to “Egypt Today” that it was possible that Mossad was behind the incidents in an effort to undermine the tourism industry in Egypt, and more time was needed to investigate the theory.

BBC News reported similar statements from the South Sinai governor, whom they identify as Mohamed Abdul Fadil Shousha (slight spelling difference from the Ahram article). The BBC News article quotes Shousha as having reportedly said, “What is being said about the Mossad throwing the deadly shark [in the sea] to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question, but it needs time to confirm.”

It should be noted that the Ahram Online includes statements from marine biologist Mahmoud Hanafy of Suez Canal University which refutes claims that the shark species involved in the attacks are not naturally found in Egyptian waters. Hanafy called the conspiracy theory “sad.”