Egyptian polls face bombing blues

The multiple bombings, in which medics said 88 people died, sounded a death knell for Egypt's image as a beacon of stability in the region, they said.

The attacks "were aimed at discrediting the Egyptian regime by challenging its ability to secure its own stability even as it poses as the guarantor of regional security," said Nabil Abdel Fattah of the Al-Ahram Centre for Strategic Studies.

The bombings were the deadliest targeting foreigners in Egypt and followed two smaller attacks on tourist targets in Cairo in April and triple blasts that killed 34 in the Sinai last October.

Israel was swift to point an accusing finger at President Hosni Mubarak's regime for failing to take appropriate measures following the October attacks and questioned the performance of Egypt's intelligence services.