MOBILE DEVICES
Free Headline Alerts     
Worldwide Web WorldTribune.com

  breaking... 


Tuesday, January 26, 2010     FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

Al Qaida group targeting Christians in Egypt

CAIRO — Egypt has linked Al Qaida to a spate of Muslim attacks on Christians.   

Egyptian security sources said authorities have connected Al Qaida and Hamas to the killing of Christians in Cairo. The sources said Al Qaida was inspiring and assisting Muslim insurgents to track and strike Coptic Church representatives and other Christians in Egypt.

"We believe Al Qaida ordered the attacks to destabilize Egypt," a security source said.


Also In This Edition

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.




About Us     l    Contact Us     l    Geostrategy-Direct.com     l    East-Asia-Intel.com
Copyright © 2010    East West Services, Inc.    All rights reserved.