THE tiger shark responsible for killing a tourist at an Egyptian beach was spotted three days before the "frenzied" attack.
Diving groups claim to have spotted the same "mad" 10ft beast stalking the coast further down the Red Sea ahead of Thursday's killing.
Vladimir Popov, 23, from Russia, was killed by the "meat grinder" shark off the coast of Hurghada on the Red Sea on Thursday.
Tourists watched in horror as Popov was dragged under the water by the killer beast and witnesses reported his lifeless body was toyed with for a harrowing two hours.
The deadly shark was then dragged ashore by fishermen and beaten to death in a savage revenge attack.
An experienced diver from the area, Sameh Mshaly, relayed claims made by diving groups on social media that they had spotted the "raged" shark three days before.
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Mshaly said that a tiger shark with "the same specifications and size" was spotted lurking near the coast at another Red Sea resort town, Marsa Alam.
The divers reported that the shark had been eating fins but seemed "very normal".
"What is certain to have happened to him is he became mad," Mshaly speculated.
The diver then explained that the tiger shark is a "very fierce species, but it rarely attacks, and big sharks are usually safer than the small and inexperienced ones.
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"We say again that the shark was RAGED," he wrote.
He has also claimed that shark attacks in the area happen at the same time each year because of cattle boats.
He wrote on Facebook: “The shark that attacked the tourist was frenzied, its diet and natural feeding patterns disrupted because of these livestock boats."
A spokesperson from the environment ministry, Essam Omaria, confirmed to The National that this may be the case.
He explained that shark behaviour significantly changes when food and waste is dumped from ships, which particularly happens in the Red Sea region.
Popov's helpless dad Yury has told of how he watched from the shore as his son desperately screamed "papa, papa" while the predator hunted him.
The distraught father saw his son being ripped apart by a shark “in 20 seconds" at the holiday hot spot.
He told local news sources: "We went to the beach to relax. My son was attacked by a shark, it all happened in seconds.
“This meat grinder happened in 20 seconds, he was just dragged under the water."
The shell-shocked father added: "This is an absolutely ridiculous coincidence, because it is a safe beach.
“There are ships and yachts around. It's never happened there. They usually attack on wild beaches. It is just some kind of evil fate."
Following the attack, footage shows the beast being hauled out of the sea on a small boat in a net before being dumped on the beach and ferociously beaten.
In the brutal video the shark appears to still be alive as it writhes in the sand while a group of men hit it with clubs.
Egypt's environmental ministry have confirmed the shark's carcass has been handed over to marine researchers for an autopsy to look into the cause of its "abnormal" behaviour.
Researchers will also probe into whether the shark has killed before and if any humans remains will be find inside.
They also intend to identify whether the shark is related to one that "caused several previous accidents”.
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Today, 46 miles of Red Sea beaches were closed amid fears of further attacks on beachgoers.
Authorities in Hurghada said the sea will remain off limits with a ban on swimming, snorkelling and other water sports until Sunday.
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