Friday 8 October, 2004
NZ Defence force Officer Caught In Hotel Bomb Blast In Egypt
A New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) officer was injured during the explosion at the Taba Hilton Hotel in Egypt this
morning. Lieutenant Commander Hugh Aitken and his wife were on leave at the hotel at the time of the explosion and both
received minor injuries.
Both Lieutenant Commander Aitken and his wife have been flown by helicopter to North Camp at El Gorah where they will
receive medical treatment. Lieutenant Commander Aitken is currently deployed as the Force Liaison Officer with the
Mulitnational Force and Observers (MFO) based at North Camp in the north of the Sinai Peninsula. There are 27 NZDF
personnel serving in the Sinai as part of the MFO.
The NZDF commitment commenced in 1982 with a detachment of helicopters. Today, the NZDF provides 27 military personnel
including training staff, logistic transport personnel and staff officers.
ENDS