Egypt on Monday released seven suspects in a February 2009 bombing at a popular Cairo tourist area after investigations showed they were not involved, a source at the state security prosecutor's office said.
Three Belgians, two Palestinians and two Egyptians have been released, MENA news agency reported, adding “the security investigations have proven that they were not involved in the attacks."
A judicial source said that the Belgians and Palestinians are to be deported.
Twelve people had been detained in connection with the attack, Egyptian state TV said.
Five are still being held pending further investigation. They are French, British and Egyptian nationals, according to the television report.
Islamic militants have sporadically hit tourist targets in recent years through bombings and shootings, dealing blows to one of Egypt's top hard currency earners.
Qaeda often condemns Egypt's government as a corrupt U.S. puppet and calls for its overthrow.
The suspects were detained in May 2009 and charged with helping to plan the bombing in a crowded square near the 14th-century Khan el-Khalili market, where tourists shop for Pharaonic and Islamic souvenirs and smoke waterpipes at outdoor cafes.
The attack killed a 17-year old French teenager and wounded 20 other people of various nationalities.
A Ministry of Interior statement at the time said the detainees had explosives and ammunition when taken into custody and had been recruited to carry out attacks in Egypt and abroad.
The bombing was the first fatal attack on tourists in Egypt since bombs killed at least 23 people at an Egyptian resort in the Sinai Peninsula in 2006.
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