Horror in Egypt and abroad: During massacre with most civilian victims in recent history of country, praying people were killed in a mosque of 235. At al-Rawdha mosque in Sinai town of Bir al-Abed, at least one explosive set went up. According to official data, more than 140 people were injured.
if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ !window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile8’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile8’; elem.className = “ad ad-desktop ad-desktop–8 ad-desktop–8-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘desktop’); elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-label’, ‘Anzeige’); document.getElementById(‘ad-desktop-8’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile8’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 8 desktop’) } } } if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile3’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile3’; elem.className = “ad ad-mobile ad-mobile–3 ad-mobile–3-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘mobile’); document.getElementById(‘ad-mobile-3’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile3’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 3 mobile’) } } }
Pictures from inside mosque about 40 kilometers west of provincial capital El-Arish showed corpses covered with cloths. Survivors indicated that during Friday prayer, a terrorist command with four off-road vehicles drove. The perpetrators of violence stormed into interior, detonated several bombs and took fear-seeking believers with assault rifles under fire. Also helpers who wanted to hide injured and ambulances were fired.
Time Online window.Zeit.require([‘//interactive.zeit.de/karten-editor/v8/static/js/embed.js’], function(init) { init(); });
The government called for a three-day state mourning. President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi ordered National Security Council. Until evening, no one was familiar with murderous deed. The Arab League secretary general, former Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, condemned “terrible crime, which once again shows that Islam bears no blame for those who join an extremist ideology”.
Egypt has been waging a war on Sinai for four years against a local offshoot of “Islamic State”, in which hundreds of soldiers and policemen have died. The media and international observers are prohibited from driving re, so that exact extent of fights remains unknown. President Sissi regularly conjures up attacks to “completely eradicate terrorism on Sinai”. Just recently he said in a speech to officers that peninsula is now 20,000 and 25,000 soldiers in use, more than six-day War 1967 against Israel.
if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ !window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile4’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile4’; elem.className = “ad ad-desktop ad-desktop–4 ad-desktop–4-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘desktop’); elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-label’, ‘Anzeige’); document.getElementById(‘ad-desktop-4’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile4’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 4 desktop’) } } } if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile4’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile4’; elem.className = “ad ad-mobile ad-mobile–4 ad-mobile–4-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘mobile’); document.getElementById(‘ad-mobile-4’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile4’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 4 mobile’) } } }
Until now, extremists usually attacked units of army or police as well as persons who suspected m of cooperating with security forces. In early October, more than 100 jihadists stormed an outpost near town of Sheikh Zuwaid, six soldiers and 24 militants died. Last week, nine truck drivers were executed on open road, who had loaded coal for a cement factory in El-Arish, which belongs to army. In February, God’s warriors committed a murders to Copts. All of approximately 500 local believers fled and left ir backs. Since n y have been living in shelters in Suez town of Ismailia or with relatives in Upper Egypt.
Air connections Interrupted
On or hand, south of Sinai, where bathing resorts on coast of Red Sea and Gulf of Akaba, have been largely spared from attacks. In October 2015, however, a is accomplice was able to smuggle a bomb aboard a Russian charter machine on airfield of Sharm al-Sheikh airport. The holiday flyer exploded about half an hour after start, 229 people died. Since n, all air connections between Russia and Egypt have been interrupted because government in Moscow is insisting on a fundamental improvement in Egyptian security controls.
Attacks on spiritual institutions in Egypt have rarely been directed against mosques, but mostly against churches of Christian Coptic minority. In April, two suicide bombers killed on Palm Sunday in Tanto and Alexandria 45 churchgoers and injured 126. The attack on St. Mark’s Cadral in Alexandria was apparently Coptic Pope Tawadros II, who had left Episcopal Church shortly before. Just under a year ago in December 2016, an assassin blew up in Church of St. Peter and Paul in center of Cairo, which is right next to Coptic Pope’s cadral. At that time, 29 believers, especially women and children, died. In se three attacks on churches, IS-terror militia itself was accused of being originator.
The now attacked Al-Rawdha mosque on Sinai is, according to local tribal leaders, a center of Sufi, whose faith practice includes ecstatic dances as well as worship of pious models. Adherents of “Islamic State”, who obey a Puritan-salafistischen Islam, regard this mystical fellow Muslims as heretics. A year ago, fanatics on Sinai in front of a running camera decapitated an older Sufi cleric accusing m of practicing magic and Hexenkult. Or Sufi followers were released intact after y had renounced ir alleged disbelief, surrounded by armed jihadists.
Independent departments of IS
Last May, IS publication al-Nabaa published an interview with an unknown who was new Egyptian chief of so-called “soldiers of caliphate”. According to his statements, re are now two independent is branches on Egyptian territory, one operating as province of Sinai in north of peninsula, or from Sinai in or parts of country, especially in Cairo and Delta.
Only four weeks ago, extremists ambushed a convoy of anti-terrorism specialists on road between Cairo and oasis of Bahariya and killed 16 officials. According to statements of dismissed prisoners, “Islamic State” is also increasingly active in Egyptian prisons and is trying to recruit new followers among 60,000 political prisoners of Sissi regime.
