Armed group in the Sinai declares it will fight Israel
A new Sinai-based organization calling itself Kataib al-Farouq calls for attacks against Israel.
A new Sinai-based organization calling itself Kataib al-Farouq calls for attacks against Israel.
Islamic State attacks in the Sinai persist despite Egyptian military operations against it.
The Islamic State’s Sinai Wilayah has released a short video showing a cadre of fighters renewing their allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Their ringleader is a masked man identified as Abu Jafar al-Ansari.
The ninth issue of the Islamic State’s Rumiyah (“Rome”) magazine features an interview with the group’s “emir” in Egypt. He concedes that the jihadists’ church bombings and ideology are not popular inside Egypt. Regardless, Rumiyah attempts to justify the Islamic State’s anti-Christian terror.
Hisham Ali Ashmawi, also known as Abu Umar al Muhajir, released an audio message earlier this month calling on Egyptian scholars to support jihadists in their fight against President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s government. Ashmawi, a former Egyptian special forces officer, leads an al Qaeda-linked group named Al Murabitoon.
Egyptian officials say that Ashraf Ali Hassanein al Gharabli, a commander in the Islamic State’s so-called Sinai ‘province,’ was killed during a shootout in Cairo. He once belonged to Ansar Bayt al Maqdis, which split into separate factions. Whereas Al Gharabli joined the Islamic State, some of his comrades remained loyal to al Qaeda.
The Islamic State said that Tomislav Salopek was killed after the deadline given to Egypt to comply with its demands expired.
The video is just the latest ultimatum given by the Islamic State in which the jihadists threaten to kill a foreign hostage if their demands are not met.
The attack, which comes after coordinated assaults in the Sinai earlier this month, was claimed by the “Islamic State in Egypt” and not its “Sinai Province.” The Islamic State warned Muslims to avoid similar locations as they are “legitimate targets.”
The Islamic State’s Sinai “province” has claimed responsibility for three failed rocket attacks on Israel earlier today. The attacks came just days after the group launched a massive operation against Egyptian security forces in the Sinai.
The Islamic State’s Sinai “province” launched a massive assault on more than 15 Egyptian security locations earlier today. The coordinated raids involved 3 suicide bombers and dozens of other fighters.
The group’s attacks are likely its deadliest since it swore allegiance to the Islamic State last November.
Wilayat Sinai (formerly known as Ansar Bayt al Maqdis) has taken credit for killing an American in August. The statement was released on Twitter with an accompanying picture of the American’s identification cards.
The Islamic State’s supporters are encouraging young jihadist recruits to travel to the Sinai. According to one online jihadist, the Islamic State’s expansion into the Sinai and throughout North Africa will facilitate the “liquidating” of the Jews.
A new video has been posted online by jihadists claiming to be the Islamic State’s official arm in the Sinai. The Sinai jihadists were formerly part of Ansar Bayt al Maqdis, but are now marketing themselves as the Islamic State’s representatives.
Ramzi Mawafi was added to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorists today. Mawafi has been publicly identified as the emir of al Qaeda in the Sinai Peninsula, which serves as a platform for funneling al Qaeda’s assistance to allied jihadist groups.
Ansar Jerusalem says that, contrary to claims made by Egyptian security officials, Shadi el Menai has not been killed and is not the group’s leader. Ansar Jerusalem says the Egyptian government does not even know who the real leader of the group is.
There are reports that Shadi el Menai, a leader in near Ansar Jerusalem, has been killed in the northern Sinai. His death has not been confirmed. Indeed, little is known about el Menai’s precise role in Ansar Jerusalem.
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.
The Ibn Taymiyya Media Center (ITMC) has published a banner honoring the “martyrdom” of Abu Khalid al Suri, who was one of al Qaeda’s top men in Syria. The ITMC is the propaganda arm for Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC) and also publicizes propaganda on behalf of Ansar Jerusalem.
A close look at Ansar Jerusalem’s attempted assassination of Egypt’s interior minister on Sept. 5, 2013 reveals multiple connections to al Qaeda’s international network.
The attacks come only days after security sources warned that jihadists might attack if Mohammed Morsi was overthrown as president.
A video biography of one of the two members of the Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC) who carried out the June 18, 2012 cross-border attack that killed one Israeli civilian was posted on jihadist forums.
A newly released report from Israel’s Shin Bet shows a rise in terror attacks originating in the Sinai in 2012. In addition, the report reveals that five attempted infiltrations by terrorists were thwarted last year.
On Sunday, Egyptian authorities seized one ton of explosives in transit to the Sinai. Egyptian officials are increasingly worried that militants from Algeria and Libya are now operating in the Sinai Peninsula.
Egyptian authorities are worried that Islamists militants in the Sinai may soon resume attacks in response to the Egyptian army’s statements that it does not intend to stop its operations or negotiate with the militants.
Several policemen were wounded in the attack. In what appears to be a separate incident, one policeman was killed by a sniper reportedly tied to extremist groups in the area.
Egyptian authorities seized a car laden with explosives and weapons in the city of Rafah, near Gaza.
According to a new report, several hundred jihadists are operating in the Sinai Peninsula, some of whom may be from Yemen and Somalia.
A tip from a local Bedouin let to the seizure of six US-made antiaircraft and antitank missiles.