The sources said the Al Qaida-aligned group, called Brigade of Loyalty
and Exoneration, was linked with the killing of four Copts in Cairo in 2008.
Since then, an Al Qaida-inspired or -directed squad, alleged to have been
headed by Ahmed Al Sharawi, has been targeting Christians and other
foreigners in Egypt.
On Jan. 14, six Copts were gunned down outside their church in the
southern Egyptian town of Nag Hamadi. The sources did not link the Islamist
insurgency cell to the attack, which sparked riots around the
Christian-Muslim community.
"Any clash between Muslims and Christians points to a sectarian
direction that could fuel sedition in our country and enables foreigners to
intervene in our affairs," Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Jan. 24.
In all, the security sources said, the Islamic insurgency group
recruited dozens of Al Qaida supporters over the last five years. They said
25 suspected operatives have been arrested and charged with being members of
the network. A trial in Egypt's state security court has been scheduled for
Feb. 14.
The Brigade of Loyalty and Exoneration, said to have been founded by Al
Sharawi in 2004, has been also linked to Hamas. The sources said Al Sharawi,
now 30, was working with Hamas's military wing, Izzedin Kassam, in the Gaza
Strip.
Izzedin Kassam was said to have asked Al Sharawi to conduct surveillance
on Israeli tourists in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. The sources said the the
Brigade of Loyalty was preparing to target some of the tens of thousands of
Israelis who vacation annually along the Sinai coast.
Al Sharawi and his aides were also said to have been negotiating with Al
Qaida for training in Afghanistan, the sources said. They said it was not
clear how many, if any, of the operatives were sent to Al Qaida camps in
either Afghanistan or Pakistan.