The State Department today added the Sinai-based jihadist group Ansar Jerusalem to the US government’s lists of designated terrorist organizations. Although State says the group “generally maintains a local focus,” its attacks are entirely consistent with al Qaeda’s global jihad.
Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said there is evidence linking the Muslim Brotherhood and Ansar Jerusalem. Security officials said they had arrested senior al Qaeda operative Thirwat Salah Shehata. Officials said that Shehata had been involved in training militants in Libya. In February, Shehata was reported to have left Iran sometime earlier and traveled to Libya.
Thirwat Salah Shehata has been arrested in a suburb of Cairo. According to Egyptian officials, he had been training militants in eastern Libya. Shehata has been tracked by US intelligence for more than a decade.
Two men were killed by Islamist militants for allegedly collaborating with Egypt’s army. In North Sinai, a police officer was killed by gunmen, and authorities reportedly thwarted an attempt to target the al Gorah airport.
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.
At least one policeman was killed and about half a dozen people wounded in bombings at Cairo University. Ajnad Misr took responsibility for the bombings. Senior ministers said the government plans to pass new legislation “connected to confronting terrorism.” Security forces employed tight measures along main roads in North Sinai looking for suspected militants. Two […]
According to press reports, the first two bombs exploded almost simultaneously, and the third went off nearly two hours later.
Security forces managed to defuse a bomb that had been placed by unidentified assailants in North Sinai. The army announced the killing of three militants and arrest of 52 others. At least 33 people were wounded in clashes between security forces and Muslim Brotherhood supporters.
Converging Interests May Lead to Cooperation Between Israel and Gulf States
A retired military officer was shot dead by gunmen in Ismailia. Two policemen were arrested for allegedly making contact with jihadists and providing them with information on the positions of security personnel. A bomb was found next to a power station in el Arish, while gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying journalists in North […]
A video confession aired during today’s press conference had one of the Ansar al Sharia members saying he had been tasked by Abu Abdullah of Ansar Jerusalem to form the new group.
Islamist militants killed one soldier and wounded three other security personnel in a shooting attack in North Sinai. The Foreign Ministry said 439 security personnel and 57 civilians have been killed in militant attacks since July 2013. Seven suspected terrorists were referred to trial for their involvement in attacks, including one outside a church near […]
Amid Egypt’s Sweeping Crackdown, North Sinai Residents in Crossfire
The magazine will be released regularly on Thursdays and will include various statements and events from the past week.
The Muslim Brotherhood said presidential candidate Abdel Fattah el Sisi is afraid to campaign publicly due to the potential for backlash from the public. Security officials denied that a wall was being built around el Arish in North Sinai; Ansar Jerusalem has threatened to attack anyone involved in the purported project. The Interior Minister said […]
Earlier this week, Egyptian media outlets reported that authorities had begun the construction of a wall around el Arish to help stop the infiltration of militants.
Egypt army extends power by taking charge of Gulf aid
Security sources denied claims of witnesses that a pipeline in North Sinai was bombed. The army arrested 21 militants in operations in North Sinai. Authorities plan to build a wall around el Arish to stop the infiltration of militants into the city. Prosecutors called for the death penalty against members of the Nasr City terror […]
Doubts surface on Gaza destination of rockets seized by Israel
Ansar Jerusalem said those killed had fought admirably against Egypt’s security forces on March 19 as they were outnumbered and outgunned. Two of the six had fought in the ongoing conflict in Syria, according to the jihadist group.
Over 520 supporters of former president Mohammed Morsi were sentenced to death; legal experts said the ruling was likely to be overturned on appeal, however. In North Sinai, militants reportedly killed three people suspected of working with the army, and gunmen killed a policeman. The trial for the Nasr City terror cell was delayed for […]
Hamas rally in Gaza takes aim at Egypt, Israel and Abbas
Security forces thwarted an attempt to detonate an explosive device on the road leading to the el Arish airport. Some security sources said the intended target of the bomb was Sedki Sobhi, a top Egyptian general. Unidentified gunmen reportedly opened fire on a radio building in el Arish. The Egyptian military used Apaches above el […]
Security sources said two Ansar Jerusalem members were killed in an airstrike in North Sinai. Some Ansar Jerusalem fighters reportedly fled to Gaza due to ongoing Egyptian military operations in North Sinai. Unidentified assailants set fire to a garage containing cooking gas cylinders near Gaza. Clashes between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and opponents left at least […]
Egypt’s Invisible Insurgency
The army spokesman said 38 suspected militants were arrested in operations in North Sinai. He also announced the destruction of 13 smuggling tunnels in Rafah. Investigators said the Ansar Jerusalem cell targeted yesterday in the Nile Delta was planning attacks for the coming days.
Militancy on rise in Egypt
The Interior Ministry said security forces carried out a raid against a major terror cell in al Qanatir al Khayriyah and that at least five Ansar Jerusalem members were killed. At least one person was killed during clashes between security forces and Muslim Brotherhood supporters. A court sentenced 26 people to death in absentia on […]
The Interior Ministry’s statement did not specify the names of the jihadists captured or killed, but said they had been involved in a number of recent attacks in the Cairo area.
According to the group, its fighters targeted 28 security personnel in three of Egypt’s governorates. A group under the same name appeared in early March with a founding statement.