Egypt arrests 7 over Mansoura suicide bombing, foils Sinai terrorist activity

Interior Minister accuses Hamas of cooperating with Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to provide logistical support to the the jihadist group.

By ARIEL BEN SOLOMON, REUTERS
Egyptian soldiers keep guard in Sinai 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Egyptian soldiers keep guard in Sinai 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Egyptian authorities have arrested seven people in connection with a suicide bomb attack on a police station north of Cairo that killed 16 and wounded more than 130 last month.
“Seven of the accused have been arrested, most prominent is Yehya Almongi Saad al-Huseini who is the son of a Muslim Brotherhood leader,” Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim told a news conference.
Ibrahim accused Hamas of cooperating with the Brotherhood to provide logistical support to the Sinai-based jihadist group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis that claimed responsibility for the December 24 attack in Mansoura.
The army-backed government listed the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization after the attack.
Ibrahim also accused the Muslim Brotherhood of receiving military training from Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
He accused Hamas of involvement in various attacks in Egypt in recent months, without giving details.
Hamas, founded in 1987, is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
A spokesman from Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, denied the accusations and called it an “attempt to mislead the Egyptian public and export the internal Egyptian crisis.”
Meanwhile, the international organization of the Brotherhood and Hamas plan to carry out attacks and bombings against churches in northern Sinai during Orthodox Christmas celebrations on Tuesday, the Egyptian daily Al-Youm al-Sabaa quoted senior security sources as saying.
They plan to use suicide car bombers from the military wing of Hamas, Izzadin Kassam, as well as plant bombs in the walls of churches and monasteries, the sources said.
Members of the Brotherhood and Hamas prepared tons of TNT explosives in the Gaza Strip to be used against the churches, the security sources told the newspaper.
Churches have increased their security measures in preparation for the holiday, El-Watan newspaper reported.
Ibrahim said that security forces would not allow the Brotherhood to disrupt the constitutional referendum scheduled to take place on January 14 and 15.
Also on Thursday, police said they had intercepted marches by Brotherhood supporters meant to disrupt New Year celebrations, arresting and dispersing the participants, Egypt’s State Information Service quoted the Interior Ministry as saying.