Egypt Interior Ministry foils terrorist plot by Hasm movement, kills two - Courts & Law
Hasm (Determination), short for Harakat Sawa'd Misr (Arms of Egypt Movement), is a militant group that emerged in 2016 and claimed responsibility for a series of attacks targeting security forces, judges, and government officials. It was designated as a terrorist organization by Egyptian authorities in 2017.
In a statement, the ministry said that security services had tracked an alleged plan by Hasm to resume its operations by targeting security and economic sites.
'Information was received indicating that leaders of the terrorist group Hasm—the armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood currently residing in Turkey—were involved in preparing and planning to revive the group's activity and carry out hostile operations targeting security and economic facilities,' the ministry stated.
According to the statement, one operative, identified as the fugitive Ahmed Mohamed Abdel Razek Ahmed Ghoneim, had allegedly infiltrated Egypt through desert routes after receiving 'advanced military training in a neighbouring country.'
Ghoneim, the ministry added, was previously convicted in multiple terrorism cases, including a death sentence for killing a police officer and life sentences for plotting to assassinate high-ranking officials and targeting the presidential aircraft.
'The plot coincided with the group's production of a video, widely circulated on social media, showing its members conducting training exercises in a desert area in a neighbouring country, vowing to carry out terrorist attacks inside Egypt,' the ministry added.
Ghoneim was reportedly staying in an apartment in Bulaq El-Dakrour, Giza, along with another suspect, Ihab Abdel Latif Mohamed Abdel Qader, wanted in connection with an attempted assassination case. During a raid on the apartment, the suspects allegedly opened fire on security forces. The ministry said both men were killed in the ensuing exchange. One security officer was wounded, and a civilian was killed.
The National Security Sector, in coordination with other agencies, identified several group leaders allegedly responsible for the plot.
These include Yahya El-Sayed Ibrahim Mohamed Moussa, described as a founding figure of Hasm, and four others—Mohamed Rafiq Ibrahim Menaa, Alaa Ali Ali El-Samahi, Mohamed Abdel Hafeez Abdallah Abdel Hafeez, and Ali Mahmoud Mohamed Abdel Wanis—all of whom have been convicted in absentia in terrorism-related cases.
Hasm's last known operation was in 2019, when authorities accused it of orchestrating a deadly car bombing near Cairo's National Cancer Institute.
Hasm's first known operation was a failed attempt to assassinate Egypt's former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa during Friday prayers on 5 August 2016, injuring his bodyguard. The group later tried to kill Assistant Public Prosecutor Zakaria Abdel Aziz with a car bomb in September.
In November 2016, Hasm also claimed responsibility for the attempted assassination of Judge Ahmed Aboul Fotouh in Nasr City—one of the judges who sentenced former President Mohamed Morsi to 20 years in prison.
The group has also been linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, which Egyptian authorities have accused of providing direction and logistical support for its operations.
In 2022, Egyptian authorities arrested Hasm founder Hossam Menoufi after his flight from Sudan to Turkey made an emergency landing in Luxor.
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