IS militants claim hotel attack that killed 7 in Egypt's Sinai

Shi'ite fighters stand near a wall painted with the black flag commonly used by Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Ksaiba, near the town of al-Alam March 7, 2015. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State's Egyptian branch claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed at least seven people in a hotel in North Sinai on Tuesday where judges overseeing a parliamentary election were staying.

A militant tried to drive a car bomb into the hotel in the provincial capital al-Arish before security forces opened fire, causing the car to explode, the military and a witness said.