Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have issued eulogies for Hammam Attiyah, who led Ajnad Misr until his death earlier this month. Little is known about Attiyah, but the eulogies are a significant indication that Ajnad Misr operates as part of al Qaeda’s international network.
How Cairo is taking the fight to Sinai militants
In statements posted on Twitter earlier today, the Islamic State’s “provinces” in Egypt and Libya claimed recent attacks in both countries.
Ajnad Misr says in a statement that the US is the real “terrorist” organization, and claims to be fighting a “global system” that seeks to thwart the revolution in Egypt. The group’s rhetoric is similar to al Qaeda’s.
The State Department today added Ajnad Misr, an Egyptian jihadist group, and Ibrahim Rubaish, a senior al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) official, to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorists.
Ajnad Misr, the “Soldiers of Egypt,” claimed today’s bombing of a police post near Helwan University in Cairo. The group has repeatedly targeted security personnel at universities.
New Egypt terror group adopting ‘lone wolf’ approach –
The group has now taken credit for at least 15 attacks since November, according to a tally maintained by The Long War Journal.
A senior police officer was assassinated in Cairo, and another officer died in a clash with militants near Alexandria. The Pentagon plans to deliver Apache helicopters to Egypt to help “counter extremists who threaten US, Egyptian, and Israeli security.”
Meanwhile, in an audio message leaked yesterday, al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri said that the “Americanized” Egyptian army should be fought.
Ajnad Misr has taken credit for at least 11 attacks since November, according to a tally maintained by The Long War Journal.
Ajnad Misr stated that its fighters delayed the detonation of the third bomb due to the crowd of civilians in the area. The group also said it has canceled operations in the past that it believed would have harmed civilians.
If al Taliawi is a member of Ansar Jerusalem and did indeed fight in Syria, he would be the third member of the group to have done so.
‘Volunteer jihadists’ pose security dilemma in Egypt
The army spokesman did not identify the 16 suspect militants, but some reports have suggested that members of Ansar Jerusalem were targeted. In Cairo, authorities continued to search for the perpetrators of yesterday’s bombing.
This was the first claimed attack by the group since Jan. 24. Ajnad Misr, like Ansar Jerusalem, called on those serving in the security services to defect.
Violence risks turning Egypt to jihadi front
The group, which has thus far limited its attacks to the Cairo area, has been described as “our brothers” by Ansar Jerusalem. Jihadists have increasingly promoted Ajnad Misr’s material in recent days.
Ansar Jerusalem claimed responsibility for at least four additional attacks in North Sinai, but appeared to back off its original claims for attacks near the Talabiya police station and Behooth metro station in the Cairo area on Jan. 24.