Egypt's controversial Luxor governor resigns

Luxor's new governor, a member of an ultra-conservative party linked to the 1997 tourists massacre in Egypt's famed temple city, today said he has resigned after his appointment stirred a controversy.

Adel al-Khayat, a member of Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya, blamed his resignation on "an unjust media campaign" against him, Al Ahram newspaper reported.

Khayat's appointment triggered controversy due to Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya's role in the murder of at least 58 tourists and 4 Egyptians in a terrorist attack in Luxor in 1997.

President Mohammed Mursi infuriated many by appointing Khayat last Monday, reaching out for a political alliance with the more radical party ahead of a big wave of opposition-led protests on June 30, the paper said.

Ever since his appointment the residents of Luxor, a city in Upper Egypt, have been staging protests and keeping him from reaching the headquarters of the governorate.