Latest news with #Hasm
Middle East Eye
4 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Turkey eyes closer Egypt ties with crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood
Turkey has deported an Egyptian citizen accused of membership in the Muslim Brotherhood, Middle East Eye has learned. Mohamed Abdelhafiz, a long-term legal resident of Turkey, was detained at Istanbul Airport on Monday upon returning from a business trip to Africa. The Muslim Brotherhood is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Egypt and was the subject of an intense crackdown after a military coup there in 2013. Thousands of members and sympathisers of the group fled Egypt in the aftermath of the coup, with many seeking refuge in Turkey. Turkish sources familiar with the case told MEE that a no-entry ban had been imposed on Abdelhafiz, triggering his automatic deportation to a third country. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Ankara typically refrains from deporting individuals to nations where they risk ill-treatment or the death penalty. However, the move suggests the Turkish government has taken an unprecedented decision to move against Abdelhafiz. 'Hasm' movement Egyptian officials accuse Abdelhafiz of being a member of the Hasm movement, which Cairo claims is an armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. His detention and deportation coincided with Egypt's announcement on Monday that it had thwarted an attack allegedly planned by Hasm. Turkey flexes muscles with new bunker buster and hypersonic weapons Read More » Last year, Ankara reconciled its relationship with Cairo after years of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. Current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led a 2013 military coup that ousted the country's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi. Since then, many Egyptian dissidents who found refuge in Turkey have faced increasing pressure, including the forced closure of TV channels such as Mekameleen, which were compelled to relocate their operations to Europe in 2022. Gulden Sonmez, Abdelhafiz's lawyer, told MEE that Ankara's decision to deport her client to a third country was a mistake. 'He could still be deported to Egypt from a third nation, given that Cairo now has extradition treaties or other agreements with many regional countries to ensure their return,' she said. For this reason, Abdelhafiz's current location remains undisclosed to protect him from further deportation and potential rights violations. There is growing anxiety among Egyptian dissidents living in Turkey, who report an escalating crackdown as part of Ankara's broader anti-immigrant policies. Sonmez concurs, noting that recent developments suggest a deliberate policy of detaining Egyptian citizens and placing them in deportation centres for the foreseeable future. On Monday, Al Arabiya reported ongoing security contacts between Cairo and Ankara regarding the extradition of Muslim Brotherhood members allegedly involved in terrorist activities in Egypt. The channel added that Egypt had provided Turkey with a security file detailing Muslim Brotherhood members 'planning terrorist operations'. Gokhan Cinkara, a regional affairs academic at Necmettin Erbakan University, said that Egypt appears to have reopened the Muslim Brotherhood file, which it had set aside during the recent rapprochement period. 'Security coordination between Egypt and Turkey is critically important in regions such as Libya, Syria and the Gulf,' he told MEE. Haftar rapprochement One key aspect of this cooperation concerns Libya. Khalifa Haftar, the de facto ruler of eastern Libya and a close ally of Cairo, has recently sought to improve relations with Ankara. As part of this realignment, Haftar has reportedly initiated steps to ratify a maritime agreement with Turkey through Libya's House of Representatives, based in Tobruk. If finalised, the move could bolster Ankara's claims in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly against Greece. Turkey taps Austrian bank for Russian gas payments to skip sanctions Read More » MEE has reported that Cairo is opposed to Haftar's move to ratify the deal. 'While it is difficult to predict what strain the cases of Abdelhafiz and six other wanted individuals might place on Turkey-Egypt relations, it is clear that Turkey wishes to maintain its diplomatic momentum,' Cinkara added. 'At the same time, the ruling AK Party is cautious not to alienate segments of its traditional voter base with such actions.' An Egyptian security official told The National this week that Turkey has so far refused to hand over several high-ranking Muslim Brotherhood members, despite their alleged involvement in violent operations targeting Egyptian officials. Instead, Ankara has opted to restrict their activities within Turkey rather than extradite them to face charges in Egypt. Figures such as Yahya Moussa and Alaa al-Samahi, both named in an Egyptian interior ministry statement, are still believed to be living in Turkey, according to the official.
Al-Ahram Weekly
7 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Thwarting terrorism - Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly
After years in hiding, the terrorist group Hasm, considered to be the armed wing of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group, resurfaced this week when the Interior Ministry announced on Sunday that two Hasm militants, Ahmed Ghoneim and Ihab Abdel-Qader, were shot dead in a shootout with security forces during a raid in Giza that thwarted attempted terrorism. Several media outlets said the raid was on 7 July, but the Interior Ministry only announced details on Sunday. The announcement came two weeks after Hasm published a video on social media showing its members undergoing military-style training in a 'desert area', widely believed to be in Libya or Sudan, and threatening to carry out terrorist operations in Egypt, particularly targeting prisons to free Muslim Brotherhood members. In recent years, the terrorist group has suffered several blows that have reduced its activities. The last terrorist operation masterminded by Hasm was in August 2019 when the movement blew up a car in front of the National Cancer Institute in Downtown Cairo, leading to the deaths of 20 civilians. Hasm, an acronym for Haraket Sawaed Misr (Arms of Egypt Movement), is designated as a terrorist organisation by Egypt, the United Kingdom, and the United States and has carried out attacks against security and judicial figures since 2016. In its statement on Sunday, the Interior Ministry said Hasm leaders Yehia Moussa and Alaa Al-Samahi, now residing in Turkey, were behind a plot to carry out a series of terror attacks targeting security and economic facilities. The plot included Ghoneim, who had previously received military training in a border country, who would infiltrate Egypt illegally and carry out terrorist operations in coordination with Abdel-Qader, another Hasm terrorist. According to the Interior Ministry, security forces monitored Ghoneim hiding in an apartment in the Giza governorate district of Boulaq Al-Dakrour. Ghoneim coordinated with Abdel-Qader, who is wanted for planning to kill a number of high-ranking officials and targeting presidential aircraft. The security forces raided the two terrorists' hideout in the densely populated district, killing them after an exchange of gunfire. One security officer was wounded, and a civilian, Mustafa Afifi, was killed while on his way to perform dawn prayers in a nearby mosque. President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi ordered on Sunday that the family of Afifi be entitled to receive compensation from the Fund for Honouring Martyrs and the Victims of Military, Terrorist, and Security Operations and their Families. The statement said the Interior Ministry had identified five leaders behind the plot besides those killed, all of whom had received life sentences in absentia for a series of attacks that rocked Egypt in the aftermath of the 2013 overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated president Mohamed Morsi. The statement revealed that Yehia Moussa, one of the most important founders of Hasm and supervisor of its armed and military structure, had been sentenced to death in 2016 for plotting the assassination of former Prosecutor-General Hisham Barakat in June 2015, attempting the targeting of a number of public figures and the presidential aircraft, and killing police officer Maged Abdel-Razek. Al-Samahi, the statement said, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022 for participating in the killing of police officer Abdel-Razek, targeting the convoy of the Alexandria Security director, and attempting to kill a number of high-ranking officials. The other three plotters included Mohamed Rafik Manaa, Mohamed Abdel-Hafiz, and Ali Abdel-Wanis, who were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2016, 2017, and 2022 for the attempted targeting of several high-ranking officials and the forgery of official documents for fugitive Brotherhood members, targeting the presidential aircraft, and killing police officer Abdel-Razek. Following the Interior Ministry's announcement, the Muslim Brotherhood, which is listed as a terrorist organisation in several other countries, issued a statement by Mahmoud Hussein, acting supreme guide of the Istanbul Front, disavowing the movement and insisting that it has no links with Hasm. Another Brotherhood front, this time in London and known as the 'General Office Front', celebrated what it called 'any operation targeting the ruling regime in Egypt', however. Mounir Adib, an expert on militant Islamist movements, told Abu Dhabi-based satellite channel Sky News Arabia that the five Hasm elements who were plotting new terrorist operations in Egypt are clearly affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. He indicated that Yehia Moussa, a leader and founder of Hasm, joined the Muslim Brotherhood when he was studying medicine in the University of Al-Azhar in Cairo. 'When the Brotherhood took power in Egypt in 2012, its leaders appointed Moussa as the spokesman of the Health Ministry,' said Adib, adding that 'after removing Mohamed Morsi from power and ending Brotherhood rule, Moussa fled to Turkey.' In January 2021, the US State Department designated Moussa and Al-Samahi as the leaders of a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT)' group involved in planning and carrying out terrorist activities. The US Treasury Department said Moussa has a Turkish passport, which has facilitated his activities by providing him visa-free travel to 110 countries. Several media reports are now suggesting that there is close security cooperation between Cairo and Ankara, and this led the Turkish authorities to arrest Mohamed Abdel-Hafiz, a Muslim Brotherhood leader and one of the Hasm leaders who plotted carrying out a new wave of terrorist operations in Egypt. According to multiple sources, Abdel-Hafiz was arrested this week upon his return from a business trip and informed that he would not be allowed to enter the country amid threats of deportation, according to a post by his wife on Facebook. The arrest of Abdel-Hafiz indicates a significant shift in Turkey's handling of the issue, alongside growing indications of the potential handover of other wanted figures, particularly Yehia Moussa, to the Egyptian authorities. After the restoration of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Turkey in July 2023, Ankara has taken numerous steps towards cementing security and intelligence cooperation with Cairo, including restricting the activities of Brotherhood-affiliated media channels and restricting the movement of its leaders in Turkey. Experts believe that the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliate Hasm's attempts to destabilise the country are linked to the approaching Egyptian parliamentary elections, including for the Senate and the House of Representatives. Major-General Ahmed Al-Awadi, chair of the House of Representatives' Defence and National Security Committee, told Al-Ahram Weekly that thwarting Hasm's recent plot clearly demonstrates the vigilance of the security agencies in Egypt and their ability to pre-empt terrorist operations and halt attempts at terrorism. 'Hasm's plots are repeated with every election season, with the aim of sowing chaos and disrupting stability,' Al-Awadi said. Security and strategic expert Major-General Samir Farag said the Muslim Brotherhood is experiencing a kind of 'temporary dormancy' during which it is attempting to revive the activity of its armed wings and recruit new members, fuelled by external funding. 'The goal of these actions is to boost the morale of the Brotherhood's cadres and prisoners and demonstrate that they have the ability to make a comeback, even if only through the media and videos broadcast on their platforms,' he said. He pointed out that 'Hasm's new plot was aimed at testing vulnerabilities in the security system and attempting to embarrass the state ahead of the elections, but what happened confirms that the security agencies are operating with a high degree of proactiveness and effectiveness.' He added that 'the tense situation in the region and the success of Jihadist elements in taking control of Syria in December 2024 gave the Muslim Brotherhood and Hasm some hope to repeat the same scenario in Egypt.' Farag noted that the recent plot shows that the Muslim Brotherhood and its armed wing Hasm are also targeting Egypt's economy. 'The revelation of the plot comes while Egypt is experiencing a surge in tourism due to enhanced internal stability amid a region rife with armed conflicts and civil wars,' he said, warning that 'any terrorist operation could have damaging effects on tourism and the economy in general.' The US and the UK decided on 19 July to upgrade their travel advisories for Egypt to Level II: Exercise Increased Caution. This classification places Egypt alongside countries like France and Germany, reflecting improved safety and security conditions in the country. * A version of this article appears in print in the 24 July, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Russia Today
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Terrorist cell destroyed in tourist city
Egyptian security forces have killed several members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood's armed wing in a raid in Giza, the Interior Ministry announced on Sunday. The ministry said the group was linked to the Hasm movement formed in 2015 – a faction it has designated as a terrorist organization. Officials claimed the cell was directed by leaders based in Türkiye and was planning to infiltrate operatives into Egypt to carry out coordinated attacks. The Hasm movement is 'preparing and planning to revive their activities and carry out hostile operations targeting security and economic facilities,' the ministry stated. The statement identified five individuals as leaders of the alleged plot. One of them, Ahmed Muhammad Abdel Razek Ahmed Ghanim, previously sentenced to death in absentia, entered the country illegally through desert routes and was hiding in an apartment in the Bulaq al-Dakrour neighborhood in Cairo. He was reportedly working with another wanted man, Ehab Abdel Latif Muhammad Abdel Qader, who had been convicted in a separate terrorism case. Security forces launched a raid on the hideout after receiving clearance from the Supreme State Security Prosecution. 'They initiated random gunfire toward the forces and the surrounding area, prompting the forces to engage them,' the statement noted. The militants died as a result of the shootout and a passing civilian was fatally shot. An officer was also injured while trying 'to rescue the citizen,' the ministry said. Authorities allege the operation was part of a broader plan by the Hasm movement to revive its armed activity. According to SkyNewsArabia, a video surfaced two weeks ago allegedly linked to Hasm in which the group called for military action and threatened to carry out terrorist attacks in Egypt. The most recent activities linked to Hasm trace back to 2019, when Egyptian authorities accused the group of orchestrating a car bombing near the Cancer Institute in central Cairo, which resulted in 22 deaths. The Muslim Brotherhood, outlawed in Egypt since 2013, is considered a terrorist organization by Cairo. In 2019, figures from the Brotherhood denied ties to Hasm.
Egypt Independent
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Egyptian police eliminate two terrorists attempting to target state institutions
The Egyptian Interior Ministry announced it had successfully thwarted a terrorist plot led by the Hasm movement, affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Its forces succeeded in eliminating two terrorists, one of whom Hasm had illegally brought into the country to carry out hostile acts against state institutions. The ministry said in a statement that it had received information indicating that leaders of the Hasm movement, the armed wing of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood, were planning to revive their activities after fleeing to turkey. They sought to carry out attacks targeting security and economic facilities. The statement explained that the plot was planned by five of the movement's leaders, who have been sentenced in various terrorism cases to various sentences. It continued that the movement's leaders pushed one of the movement's fugitive members from a border country, where he had previously received advanced military training, to infiltrate the country illegally. The statement indicated that this coincided with the movement's release of a video, spread online, showing its members training in a desert area of a neighboring country and threatening to carry out terrorist operations in Egypt. The ministry stated that Ahmed Mohamed Abdel-Razek Ahmed Ghoneim, a member of the terrorist movement, had been tracked into the country. Ghoneim had been convicted in several terrorism cases, including a death sentence for targeting security guards in Sharqiya, a life imprisonment for attempting to target the presidential plane, and the assassination of Lieutenant Colonel Maged Abdel-Razek, an officer at Nozha Police Station. Ghoneim was tracked down as he illegally entered the country via desert routes, and used an apartment in Bulaq al-Dakrour area in Giza as his hideout. He was planning to carry out the terrorist plot in collaboration with Ehab Abdel-Latif Mohamed Abdel-Qader, a member of the movement who is wanted for attempted attacks on several high-profile figures. Following permission from the Supreme State Security Prosecution, a raid was conducted on the hideout of the terrorists. The terrorists began firing randomly at the forces and the area surrounding the property, prompting a counter-terrorism operation. The exchange of fire resulted in their deaths, as well as the death of a citizen who happened to be passing by, who succumbed to his injuries as a result of the terrorists' indiscriminate gunfire. A force officer was also injured while attempting to rescue the citizen. The Supreme State Security Prosecution was notified and is conducting investigations. The Interior Ministry affirms its continued efforts to fight back the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group and its supporters, which aim to undermine Egypt's security and stability.
Asharq Al-Awsat
21-07-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Egypt: ‘Volatile Borders' Continue to Pose Terror Threats
A preemptive security operation recently carried out by Egypt's Interior Ministry has highlighted growing concerns over the country's volatile borders, which security sources say are being exploited by armed groups to stage attempted 'hostile operations' inside Egypt. The ministry announced on Sunday that it had foiled a planned terrorist attack by the outlawed Hasm movement, an armed wing of the banned Muslim Brotherhood. According to the statement, one of the group's operatives, trained in advanced military tactics abroad, attempted to infiltrate Egypt illegally to carry out sabotage activities. A security source revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the suspect, who was killed in a raid along with other militants, had previously trained in Libya and had also resided in Sudan. 'He crossed into Egypt illegally before planning the attack,' the source said. The Interior Ministry said it had received intelligence indicating that Hasm's leadership, currently operating from Türkiye, was preparing to revive the group's militant activities, targeting economic and security installations across the country. This information follows a video posted online two weeks ago, allegedly by Hasm, in which masked gunmen are shown conducting live-fire drills in a desert environment, accompanied by a written statement threatening new attacks. Security officials say parts of the video were compiled from old footage, but some clips showed recent training sessions in Libya, prompting intensified surveillance and tracking efforts. The ministry stated that the raid on the militant hideout was met with heavy gunfire from the suspects, leading to a firefight in which the terrorists were killed. Tragically, a civilian passerby was also killed, and a police officer was injured while attempting to rescue the wounded man. Former Interior Ministry spokesperson Gen. Hany Abdel Latif praised the operation as a 'significant success,' noting Egypt's sustained security dominance. However, he cautioned that 'this does not mean terrorism has been eradicated. It remains a threat, both here and globally.' Abdel Latif pointed to Egypt's 'volatile borders', particularly with Libya, Sudan, and Gaza, as persistent vulnerabilities. 'These frontiers provide opportunities for extremists to infiltrate and plot attacks,' he said. He warned that the Hasm movement - despite being weakened – continues to have active operatives and ideological remnants capable of regrouping. 'We must remain vigilant. The threat is ongoing, and no warning should be underestimated,' he underlined.
