CAIRO, Nov. 25 (Aswat Masriya) - The American Embassy in Cairo offered Wednesday its "heartfelt condolences" to the families and friends of the "innocent victims" of the recent deadly attacks that left 10 people dead, including the three perpetrators.

Three attacks carried out on Tuesday, targeted the Swiss Inn Hotel in the North Sinai city of Arish, where judges overseeing the second phase of the parliamentary elections and journalists covering the electoral process were staying.

In a statement handed out to Egypt's state news agency MENA, the U.S. Embassy said that by attacking the hotel where election officials were staying at the time of the poll, terrorists attacked "a symbol of the democratic process and Egypt’s development". 

The attacks took place the day after voting had ended in the second phase of parliamentary elections.

The embassy condemned the attacks in the "strongest possible terms" and stressed that Egypt plays a "crucial" role in the security and stability of the Middle East.

The attacks left four policemen, two judges and a civilian killed, in addition to the militants, and were claimed by the Sinai Province, the Egyptian affiliate of the Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria's, known as ISIS.

According to a statement by Egypt's armed forces, in the first attack a suicide bomber drove a car loaded with explosives intending to ram it into the hotel. 

But security forces thwarted the plan in an exchange of fire, detonating the explosives and killing the attacker, the armed forces spokesman said in a statement earlier on Tuesday.

Another attacker wearing a suicide belt managed to sneak into the hotel where he blew himself up.

The third attacker snuck into a hotel room and fired "randomly", killing a judge, the armed forces said.

Militancy in Egypt, particularly in North Sinai, has been on the rise since the military ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. 

Security personnel are the main targets of attacks but in May, three prosecutors and a driver were killed when gunmen opened fire on their vehicle also in Arish.

Egyptian authorities say they have killed hundreds of militants in Sinai in security crackdowns.

Formerly known as Ansar Beit El-Maqdis, the group changed its name to Sinai Province after pledging allegiance to ISIS a year ago and is one of the most active militant groups in the country. 

The Sinai Province claimed responsibility twice for the downing of a Russian plane, which crashed in the Sinai desert on Oct. 31 and has been at the epicentre of international media reports ever since.