What's With the Shark Attacks Off Egyptian Waters? Mossad, Of Course

It just doesn't get any dumber than this.

Egyptian officials say they have not ruled out the possibility that a fatal shark attack in Sinai on Sunday could have been a plot by the Mossad.

“What is being said about the Mossad throwing the deadly shark [in the sea] to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question, but it needs time to confirm,” South Sinai Gov. Muhammad Abdel Fadil Shousha was quoted as saying by the Egyptian state news site egynews.net.

Israeli officials said the claims were too ludicrous to comment on. Israel has issued an advisory warning against travel to Sinai due to plots against Israelis by terrorist groups linked to al-Qaida.

The fatal shark attack in the Red Sea off the coast of the resort town of Sharm e-Sheikh killed a German tourist, just days after four Russians were mauled by sharks and Egypt declared that the waters were safe.

Experts said that despite announcements that Egypt had caught the shark, the one actually responsible for the maulings was still on the loose.

There's actually more likely reasons.

The attacks have prompted speculation about what could have caused the whitetip’s savage behaviour.

Possible triggers are overfishing,driving the sharks into shallower water to search for food, or tourists feeding the predator, causing it to associate humans with food.

Other theories include livestock carcases being dumped into the water after the Muslim festival of Eid last month.

Update: Via Carl in Jerusalem, we've got a photo of one of the sharks.