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Egypt
Al Qaeda chief’s kin, other Salafis push for a puritanical Egypt
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Egypt
Egypt and the US signed an agreement providing for $190 million in US aid to support Egypt’s struggling budget. Strikes and protests continued throughout the country. A Salafi jihadist group in the Sinai fired a missile towards Suez, while gunmen opened fire at a military checkpoint elsewhere in the Sinai.
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Egypt
Egypt wants to lure Israelis back to the Sinai
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Egypt
Authorities were placed on high alert after the Interior Ministry said that it had obtained “information that jihadist groups intend to attack police buildings” in the Sinai. An Egyptian court confirmed the death sentences for 21 soccer fans for their role in the February 2012 stadium riot in Port Said. Protesters tried to torch buildings in Cairo, including the headquarters of Egypt’s soccer federation, and targeted shipping in the Suez Canal.
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Egypt
The US Embassy in Cairo warned American citizens to avoid the downtown area of the capital and Port Said this weekend. Egyptian security forces clashed with gunmen in Sinai whose car contained ammunition for automatic weapons and explosive devices. Members of the police tasked with guarding the Muslim Brotherhood’s headquarters in Cairo withdrew from their posts. The commander of the Central Security Forces was fired by the head of the Interior Ministry.
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Egypt
US postpones award for Egyptian woman over anti-Semitic tweets
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Egypt
Egypt’s new order creates identity crisis for police
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Egypt
Two British tourists were held for a few hours by Sinai tribesman demanding the release of prisoners involved in arms smuggling. Egyptian police officers are planning protests across the country. Among their demands is the dismissal of the head of the Interior Ministry.
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Israel warns citizens of threat of ‘global jihad’ and Iranian-sponsored attacks
The Counterterrorism Bureau at Israel’s National Security Council has warned Israeli citizens that Iran and Hezbollah are still plotting attacks against Israelis abroad. In addition, the bureau warned of an increasing threat “of global jihad attacks in Africa.”
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Egypt
Anger courses through Nile Delta and Suez Canal, spelling trouble for Egypt’s Morsi
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Egypt
An Egyptian administrative court ordered the suspension of parliamentary elections that were scheduled to begin in late April. President Morsi’s office said Morsi did not plan to appeal the court’s decision. The head of security in Port Said was fired as protests in the city continued for the fourth consecutive day.
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Al Qaeda-linked groups increasing contact with Salafi groups in Nile Delta and Sinai
Egyptian officials are worried that they are seizing only a fraction of the weaponry entering the Sinai Peninsula from Libya. In addition, al Qaeda-linked groups are said to be increasing contact with Salafi groups in the Sinai and Nile Delta.
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Egypt
Unidentified gunmen attacked Egyptian soldiers who were trying to demolish tunnels under Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip. Authorities seized a cache of weaponry, including anti-tank mines in el Arish. Police and protesters clashed for a third day in Port Said. Police officers in the Sinai continued their strike to protest “inhumane” working conditions.
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Egypt
US Secretary of State Kerry met with President Morsi and announced that the US will provide Egypt with $190 million to aid the Egyptian government’s budget. The Salafi Nour Party met with Jama’a al-Islamiya to discuss the formation of an alliance for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
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Egypt
Leaders of the National Salvation Front, including Mohamed El Baradei, said they will not meet with Secretary of State Kerry when he visits Egypt. Authorities prevented the smuggling of 1,500 liters of diesel fuel into Gaza, and discovered missiles stored by smugglers near el Arish. An unofficial “morality police” announced its launch in Cairo.
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Egypt
Egypt’s army tiptoes through democracy’s minefield
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Egypt
Qatar’s influence in Egypt runs deeper than its pockets
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Egypt
The Jihadi Organization, of which Ahmed Ashush is a member, called on Egyptians to boycott the elections due to begin in April. Egypt asked the EU to monitor the elections. President Morsi held talks with leaders of the Sinai. Authorities are searching for 500 Palestinians, many of whom are Hamas members, who recently entered Egypt illegally and are suspected of terrorist activities.
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Egypt
Insight: Egypt’s army tiptoes through democracy’s minefield
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Egypt
Authorities seized 60 anti-tank missiles south of Cairo that were being transported in two pickup trucks from Libya. The Muslim Brotherhood is considering changing its name to “The Comprehensive Islamic Authority.” Authorities said criminal activity was not the cause of the balloon crash that killed at least 19 tourists on Feb. 26.
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Egypt
Covert auctions in Egypt put arms that freed Libya into hands of terrorists
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Egypt
Gunmen in the Sinai injured at least one Egyptian police officer when they fired upon a police convoy. A Cairo court declared that smuggling tunnels between Egypt and Gaza pose a threat to Egyptian security and should be destroyed. A number of opposition parties announced that they will boycott upcoming elections due to begin in April.
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Egypt
A military source said Egyptian authorities have no intention of negotiating with Salafists currently protesting the imprisonment of those behind the 2004 Taba bombings. Islamists, including members of the Muslim Brotherhood, attempted to prevent the construction of a church annex in Shubra al-Kheima. Egyptian authorities told Hamas that escalation with Israel harms Egyptian security.
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Egypt
Armed men shut down the Nasr salt factory in the city of el Arish in the Sinai. Islamists are believed to be responsible for the recent defacement of cultural icons in the country. Egyptian authorities seized 20,000 liters of fuel intended to be smuggled into the Gaza Strip. Sinai groups announced plans for protests against the government next week.
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Egypt
Opposition figure Mohamed El Baradei called on Egyptians to boycott upcoming elections due to begin in April. The interior minister denied reports that had suggested a “Brotherhoodization” of the country’s police force. Salafist groups in the Sinai called on the government to implement sharia law.
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Egypt
President Morsi called for parliamentary elections to begin in late April; the elections will occur in four stages and be completed in June. The Interior Ministry imported 140,000 tear gas canisters from the US in January. Unidentified Egyptian officials said recent statements regarding the Sinai are “incorrect” and merely “just statements to the media.”
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Egypt
US criticises Egypt’s lack of leadership
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Egypt
A spokesman said Egyptian Armed Forces “will continue to carry out their assignments in Sinai until all tunnels in Rafah are destroyed and all terrorist hotbeds eliminated.” Hamas reiterated its displeasure with Egypt’s decision to target the smuggling tunnels. The Muslim Brotherhood is believed to be running an “intelligence-gathering network” outside of those tied to the government.
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Egypt
Jama’a al-Islamiya and 13 other Islamist parties announced the formation of “armed squads” that they say will help the police “fight vandals, thugs and groups like the Black Bloc.” A court ruled that policemen will be allowed to grow beards ending a de facto ban imposed during the reign of Hosni Mubarak.
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Egypt
A 17-member US military delegation arrived in Cairo for discussions with Egyptian officials. The visit comes amidst Egyptian moves to destroy tunnels under its border with the Gaza Strip. Egypt continues to mediate indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
