Shark kills German tourist on Egypt's Red Sea Coast

CAIRO - An Egyptian security official says a shark killed a German citizen on Egypt's Red Sea Coast.

The official says the 52-year-old man's body had been moved to a local hospital after the attack Saturday and that officials were conducting an investigation. He says the shark bit off the man's leg at the knee.

An official from the German Embassy in Cairo says they have received reports that a German citizen died in the area but are not aware of the cause of death.

All officials spoke Sunday on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief reporters.

Egypt is one of the world's top diving destinations. Similar attacks have happened in the past -- in 2010, a shark killed a 70-year-old German tourist while she was snorkeling.

That death in 2010 was part of a spate of shark attacks that sent the government scrambling to protect the image of its important tourism industry. At the time, the South Sinai governor suggested Israel's foreign spy service, the Mossad, may have played a role in the uptick of attacks, something the Israeli government denied.