7 days ago
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
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