Tag Archives: Egypt

Two British tourists were held for a few hours by Sinai tribesman demanding the release of prisoners involved in arms smuggling. Egyptian police officers are planning protests across the country. Among their demands is the dismissal of the head of the Interior Ministry.

An Egyptian administrative court ordered the suspension of parliamentary elections that were scheduled to begin in late April. President Morsi’s office said Morsi did not plan to appeal the court’s decision. The head of security in Port Said was fired as protests in the city continued for the fourth consecutive day.

Unidentified gunmen attacked Egyptian soldiers who were trying to demolish tunnels under Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip. Authorities seized a cache of weaponry, including anti-tank mines in el Arish. Police and protesters clashed for a third day in Port Said. Police officers in the Sinai continued their strike to protest “inhumane” working conditions.

US Secretary of State Kerry met with President Morsi and announced that the US will provide Egypt with $190 million to aid the Egyptian government’s budget. The Salafi Nour Party met with Jama’a al-Islamiya to discuss the formation of an alliance for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Leaders of the National Salvation Front, including Mohamed El Baradei, said they will not meet with Secretary of State Kerry when he visits Egypt. Authorities prevented the smuggling of 1,500 liters of diesel fuel into Gaza, and discovered missiles stored by smugglers near el Arish. An unofficial “morality police” announced its launch in Cairo.

The Jihadi Organization, of which Ahmed Ashush is a member, called on Egyptians to boycott the elections due to begin in April. Egypt asked the EU to monitor the elections. President Morsi held talks with leaders of the Sinai. Authorities are searching for 500 Palestinians, many of whom are Hamas members, who recently entered Egypt […]

Authorities seized 60 anti-tank missiles south of Cairo that were being transported in two pickup trucks from Libya. The Muslim Brotherhood is considering changing its name to “The Comprehensive Islamic Authority.” Authorities said criminal activity was not the cause of the balloon crash that killed at least 19 tourists on Feb. 26.

Gunmen in the Sinai injured at least one Egyptian police officer when they fired upon a police convoy. A Cairo court declared that smuggling tunnels between Egypt and Gaza pose a threat to Egyptian security and should be destroyed. A number of opposition parties announced that they will boycott upcoming elections due to begin in […]

A military source said Egyptian authorities have no intention of negotiating with Salafists currently protesting the imprisonment of those behind the 2004 Taba bombings. Islamists, including members of the Muslim Brotherhood, attempted to prevent the construction of a church annex in Shubra al-Kheima. Egyptian authorities told Hamas that escalation with Israel harms Egyptian security.

Armed men shut down the Nasr salt factory in the city of el Arish in the Sinai. Islamists are believed to be responsible for the recent defacement of cultural icons in the country. Egyptian authorities seized 20,000 liters of fuel intended to be smuggled into the Gaza Strip. Sinai groups announced plans for protests against […]

Opposition figure Mohamed El Baradei called on Egyptians to boycott upcoming elections due to begin in April. The interior minister denied reports that had suggested a “Brotherhoodization” of the country’s police force. Salafist groups in the Sinai called on the government to implement sharia law.

President Morsi called for parliamentary elections to begin in late April; the elections will occur in four stages and be completed in June. The Interior Ministry imported 140,000 tear gas canisters from the US in January. Unidentified Egyptian officials said recent statements regarding the Sinai are “incorrect” and merely “just statements to the media.”

A spokesman said Egyptian Armed Forces “will continue to carry out their assignments in Sinai until all tunnels in Rafah are destroyed and all terrorist hotbeds eliminated.” Hamas reiterated its displeasure with Egypt’s decision to target the smuggling tunnels. The Muslim Brotherhood is believed to be running an “intelligence-gathering network” outside of those tied to […]

Jama’a al-Islamiya and 13 other Islamist parties announced the formation of “armed squads” that they say will help the police “fight vandals, thugs and groups like the Black Bloc.” A court ruled that policemen will be allowed to grow beards ending a de facto ban imposed during the reign of Hosni Mubarak.

A 17-member US military delegation arrived in Cairo for discussions with Egyptian officials. The visit comes amidst Egyptian moves to destroy tunnels under its border with the Gaza Strip. Egypt continues to mediate indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

The government is preparing to ban the sale of alcohol “in new residential settlements on the outskirts of Cairo, Alexandria and other big cities.” An aide to President Morsi said the Egyptian pound will not collapse. Egyptian authorities announced the discovery of 225 tunnels under its border with Gaza as an Israeli delegation arrived in […]

Egyptian authorities seized a weapons cache in El Arish. “The seized weapons include 21 anti-aircraft shells, six anti-tank mines and an anti-aircraft gun,” an official said. In another incident, one ton of explosives was found in a car headed from Cairo toward the Sinai. These seizures come two days after two tons of weaponry was […]

The Al-Taloul water station in the northern Sinai was shut down by a group of armed men who said that the plant was built on their land. Hamas condemned the recent flooding by Egyptian authorities of smuggling tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.