Interior Minister Ibrahim said 90% of those behind the Mansoura attack have been arrested. North Sinai security forces defused a roadside bomb. Authorities increased security around churches in Cairo and Giza in preparation for the New Year. A former Muslim Brotherhood official said Ansar Jerusalem and the al Furqan Brigades are branches of the Brotherhood. The Justice Ministry asked Qatar to arrest al Gamaa al Islamiya leader Assem Abdel-Maged; authorities also ordered an asset freeze on some 500 Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist figures. Militants were believed to have attacked a gas pipeline in Sinai.
