The group issued statements today threatening that the fate of the Interior Ministry official in Cairo would be shared by others, and that attacks against the Egyptian army’s economic interests would continue.
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The Sinai-based jihadist group Ansar Jerusalem has targeted gas pipelines in the Sinai Peninsula more than a dozen times since 2011. It recently threatened to increase attacks against economic targets tied to the Egyptian army.
In the message, Zawahiri mentions “muhajireen,” or foreign fighters, coming to the Sinai and needing the protection of locals. The presence of foreign fighters in the Sinai has long been speculated, but never conclusively proven to be a widespread phenomenon.
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.
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The attacks came just hours after one of the group’s members issued an audio warning threatening attacks. The group also reiterated that its official material is released only through the jihadist forums of Al Fajr Media Center, al Qaeda’s exclusive media distribution outlet.
The largest attack, which targeted the Cairo Security Directorate, came only a few hours after an Ansar Jerusalem official urged Egyptian security personnel to repent and save themselves.
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The last such attack occurred in mid-August and was carried out by the Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem in response to the killing of four members of Ansar Jerusalem.
The Sinai-based jihadist group has targeted gas pipelines in the Sinai Peninsula more than a dozen times since 2011.
Since February 2011, Islamist militants, Ansar Jerusalem specifically, have targeted gas pipelines in the Sinai over a dozen times. Today’s attack comes nearly three weeks after the most recent attack on a pipeline in the Sinai.
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The group threatened to strike the neck and cut off the fingertips of those responsible for the deaths of a fighter and a preacher. Also today, Egypt’s interior minister identified a leader of the Sinai-based jihadist group.
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It is the first such attack since early July. In July 2012, Ansar Jerusalem claimed responsibility for more than a dozen such attacks since February 2011.
The attack came five days after an Ansar Jerusalem suicide car bombing in Mansoura killed more than a dozen people. Authorities also reportedly defused a bomb near a school in el Arish today.
The Sinai-based jihadist group had issued a statement in October denying the existence of any social media accounts tied to the group. The account mentioned by Egyptian media outlets itself notes on multiple occasions it is unofficial.
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The attack in Mansoura came a day after the Sinai-based group had called on Egyptian security forces to stop serving. In its statement, Ansar Jerusalem noted that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, at least the third used by the group in recent months.
The attack comes a day after Ansar Jerusalem said its fighters were prepared to “do jihad against” members of the security forces who do not repent and leave their positions. The number of wounded is the highest in a single attack since the overthrow of Mohammed Morsi in early July.
Ansar Jerusalem called on members of the security forces to repent and leave their positions. According to Egypt’s army spokesman, a quarter of the terrorists killed in recent operations in North Sinai have been foreign fighters.
According to Egypt’s army spokesman, the raid targeted Shadi el Menai and Kamal Allam, both of whom appear to have survived. At least two Egyptian soldiers were killed during the clashes.
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Thus far, no jihadist group has confirmed or denied Egyptian army claims that key jihadists have been killed in recent weeks.
A recent Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham video includes clips of an ISIS sharia judge in Aleppo urging Sinai jihadists to be patient in their pursuits, and ISIS fighters conducting attacks in Iraq’s Anbar province.
The statement comes nearly a week after an al Qaeda official called on Egyptian Muslims to work towards the implementation of sharia-based governance.
Haitham el Menai further praised his brother Shadi and said anyone “who defends our children” should be treasured. Shadi el Menai, who was last seen in September, is believed to still be in North Sinai.
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