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Bomb Attacks in Egypt Kill at Least 6 People Deadly Cairo Bomb Attacks Raise Fears of New Insurgency
(about 2 hours later)
CAIRO — Four bombs exploded near police positions across greater Cairo on Friday, killing at least six people, wounding dozens and intensifying fears of a violent backlash against last summer’s military takeover of the Egyptian government. CAIRO — Four separate bombings rocked the Egyptian capital on Friday on the eve of the third anniversary of the Arab Spring revolt, killing at least six people, injuring more than 70, and evoking comparisons to Baghdad in a city that for decades has been among the most stable in the Arab world.
“It’s a vile, desperate attempt by evil terrorist forces to disrupt the success Egypt and its people have achieved,” Hazem El-Beblawi, the interim prime minister appointed by the military, said in a statement reported by Ahram Online, the web site of Egypt’s official newspaper. The bombings, all targeting the police, were devastating evidence that neither of what the current military-backed government calls Egypt’s “two revolutions” — one ending the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and the other the one year in office of President Mohamed Morsi in 2013--- has delivered on their promises of either democracy or stability. Instead, the bombings appeared to mark the fruition of fears that the military ouster of Mr. Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, would set off a militant Islamist insurgency against the government installed by Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi.
The blasts took place despite intensified security measures in the Egyptian capital in anticipation of the commemoration on Saturday of the third anniversary of the 2011 Arab Spring revolt. The explosions suggested that even at high alert the police were unable to stop antigovernment militants from staging apparently coordinated attacks, including detonating a car bomb at the gate of a heavily guarded security headquarters. Although Mr. Mubarak was faced with an Islamist insurgency more than a decade ago, the insurgents never struck a blow as unnerving as the four bombs detonated on a single day in the capital when security was already high because of Saturday’s anniversary.
But the bombs also appeared to elicit spontaneous demonstrations of support for Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, who led the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood last summer and has portrayed his brutal crackdown on the group as a struggle against terrorism. His supporters have urged Egyptians to demonstrate in Tahrir Square on Saturday to urge him to seek the presidency — he is expected to run unopposed — while officials have warned ominously that Mr. Morsi’s Islamists supporters might try to stir chaos on the anniversary as well. No one claimed responsibility for the bombings. Some cynical neighbors near the scene of the first bombing suggested it may have been staged by the government itself, to build support for a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood. But the bombings occurred just hours after a young Islamist militant group that has claimed responsibility for many recent attacks, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, warned Egyptian security officers in a video message to “escape with your weapons” because “we will target you as we target your leaders.”
Less than three hours after the first blast outside the security headquarters, which was the biggest of the explosions, the scene outside the building had turned into an impromptu political rally. A crowd of more than 200 people was demonstrating in support of General Sisi and against the Muslim Brotherhood. “The people want the execution of the Brotherhood,” they chanted, waving Egyptian flags and holding signs depicting a profile of General Sisi in dark sunglasses against the profile of a lion, or, in other posters, of a hawk. If the group is responsible, then a militant strand of Islamist radicalism will have come full circle. Where a ideas forged in Egyptian jails under previous crackdowns on Islamist movements became the ideology of Al Qaeda, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis now quotes Qaeda leaders in video messages attacking the nonviolent politics of the Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt’s new military leaders alike.
By late afternoon the streets of Cairo were eerily deserted as residents stayed inside seeking safety. Military helicopters buzzed low overhead. Roadside vendors sold Egyptian flags, hoping to capitalize on a surge in nationalistic feeling in reaction to the threats.
The bombs appeared to trigger spontaneous outpourings of support for General Sisi, who led the ouster of Mr. Morsi last summer. General Sisi is now poised to run unopposed in an election to succeed him, campaigning as the strong leader Egypt needs to battle what he calls the Brotherhood’s “terrorism.”
Less than three hours after the first and largest blast, around dawn outside a security headquarters in the historic district known as Islamic Cairo, the scene outside the police barricades had turned into an impromptu political rally. A crowd of more than 200 people was demonstrating in support of General Sisi and against the Brotherhood. “The people want the execution of the Brotherhood,” they chanted, waving Egyptian flags and holding signs depicting a profile of General Sisi in dark sunglasses against the profile of a lion, or, in other posters, of a hawk.
Half a block away, a police officer clutching an Egyptian flag climbed a barricade in front of the damaged security headquarters to address a small crowd and several television cameras. “We are here for you, we will sacrifice our souls for you, we are here for this,” he said, pointing to the flag and choking back tears. “They are martyrs too,” he said, gesturing at his fellow officers.Half a block away, a police officer clutching an Egyptian flag climbed a barricade in front of the damaged security headquarters to address a small crowd and several television cameras. “We are here for you, we will sacrifice our souls for you, we are here for this,” he said, pointing to the flag and choking back tears. “They are martyrs too,” he said, gesturing at his fellow officers.
Another rally in support of General Sisi, with the same chant for the “execution” of the Brotherhood, unfolded after a second, smaller blast from a bomb thrown at a police car in the neighborhood of Dokki, across the river in Giza. Commentators on state television and demonstrators at the scene immediately blamed the Brotherhood for the bombings.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings. Commentators on state television and demonstrators at the scene pointed to the Brotherhood, the Islamist group that dominated elections after the 2011 revolt and backed President Morsi.
In a short statement posted online, the Brotherhood said it “strongly condemns the cowardly bombings in Cairo, expresses condolences to the families of those killed, demands swift investigations.” It blamed the “coup authorities” for deteriorating security and the failure to apprehend the perpetrators of previous bombings.In a short statement posted online, the Brotherhood said it “strongly condemns the cowardly bombings in Cairo, expresses condolences to the families of those killed, demands swift investigations.” It blamed the “coup authorities” for deteriorating security and the failure to apprehend the perpetrators of previous bombings.
The interior minister, Mohamed Ibrahim, arrived at the scene of the first bombing about 9 a.m. in a heavily armed motorcade to inspect the damage. “They don’t want the people to celebrate,” he told reporters, according to state media, in an apparent reference to the Brotherhood. “Millions would take to the streets” nonetheless on Saturday, he said, and the attacks would not deter the police “in their war against black terrorism.” The bombings were the latest in a series of attacks on soldiers and the police since Aug. 14, when security forces broke up two Islamist sit-ins, killing several hundred people. Most of the assaults have taken place in the relatively lawless Sinai Peninsula, but the bombings and assassinations are spreading to other major cities and even the capital, where the government and its supporters are strongest.
The bombings were the latest in an escalating series of attacks on soldiers and the police since Aug. 14, when security forces used deadly force to break up two Islamist sit-ins, killing several hundred people. Most of the assaults have taken place in the relatively lawless Sinai Peninsula, but the bombings and assassinations are spreading to other major cities and even the capital, where the government and its supporters are strongest. Friday’s attack was at least the second car bombing inside Cairo. In September a smaller blast was set off as part of an attempt to assassinate the interior minister. In late December, a car bomb at a Police Headquarters in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura killed at least 15 people and injured more than 100.
Friday’s attack was at least the second car bombing inside Cairo, following a smaller blast in September in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the interior minister. In late December, a car bomb at a police headquarters in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura killed at least 15 people and injured more than 100. The first blast Friday killed four policemen, injured more than 70 people and left a gaping crater in the pavement so deep that it burst an underground water pipe. It severely damaged the ground floor and several stories of the security building as well as the facade and contents of the Museum of Islamic Art across the street. An adjacent national library was badly damaged as well.
A hard-line Islamist group calling itself Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for many of the attacks, including the attempted assassination of the interior minister and the Mansoura bombing. The group, whose name means “Supporters of Jerusalem,” quotes Al Qaeda leaders in online videos, and it frequently condemns the Brotherhood for its failed attempt to win power through democratic elections. But the Egyptian authorities installed by General Sisi treat Ansar Beit al-Maqdis as an extension of the Brotherhood, and they responded to the Mansoura blast by outlawing the Brotherhood and criminalizing membership in the group.
The first bomb exploded before 6 a.m. in front of a security headquarters in Islamic Cairo, a warren of teeming streets known for a concentration of historic mosques, residents said. The blast killed four policemen, injured more than 70 and left a gaping crater in the pavement so deep that it burst an underground water pipe. It severely damaged the ground floor and several stories of the security building as well as the facade of the Museum of Islamic Art across the street. State media reported that artifacts inside were damaged as well.
“It felt like Judgment Day,” said Yahia, 26, who was sleeping at a friend’s home nearby. “Yesterday the whole area was barricaded by the police and even the residents of the area could not get around,” he said. “If you wanted to take a taxi, they wouldn’t let it stop in front of the security headquarters. How did they get in?”“It felt like Judgment Day,” said Yahia, 26, who was sleeping at a friend’s home nearby. “Yesterday the whole area was barricaded by the police and even the residents of the area could not get around,” he said. “If you wanted to take a taxi, they wouldn’t let it stop in front of the security headquarters. How did they get in?”
He declined to give his full name for fear of reprisals because he was critical of the crackdown on the Islamists, saying that such violence was a predictable response.He declined to give his full name for fear of reprisals because he was critical of the crackdown on the Islamists, saying that such violence was a predictable response.
But Mohamed Ahmed, a banker, said he had come to the scene from across town to show his support for the police. “Who else but the Muslim Brotherhood has an interest in this kind of attack?,” he asked. “After they were forced out of politics, they just want to destroy the country.” But Mohamed Ahmed, a banker, said he had come to the scene from across town to show his support for the police. “Who else but the Muslim Brotherhood has an interest in this kind of attack?” he asked. “After they were forced out of politics, they just want to destroy the country.”
The third blast was near a police station in the Haram area of Giza, near the Pyramids, and did not cause any injuries. But later a fourth bomb exploded, in the same district, and killed at least one person, state television said. The second blast, caused by a bomb thrown at a police vehicle in Dokki, took place within a few hours of the first and killed one bystander. The third bomb was set off near a police station in the Haram area of Giza, near the Pyramids, and did not cause any injuries. The fourth exploded near a movie theater in the same area, targeting police vehicles returning from fighting Islamist protesters nearby, and it killed the sixth victim.
The explosions only increased the high level of anxiety across the city about Saturday’s anniversary of the 2011 revolt, a day when several rival political factions have called for demonstrations. In addition to General Sisi’s supporters, the Interior Ministry has urged Egyptians to turn out in support of the police. The Muslim Brotherhood has called for its own demonstrations against the military takeover. The explosions increased the high level of anxiety across the city about anniversary of the 2011 revolt on Saturday, when rival political factions have called for demonstrations. Supporters of General Sisi have called for demonstrations to demand that he seek the presidency, and the Interior Ministry has urged Egyptians to turn out in support of the police.
Others activists, including the April 6 Group and others who helped set off the original revolt, have called for demonstrations opposed to either military- or Islamist-led government. The Brotherhood has called for its own demonstrations, against the military takeover. Others, including activists who helped set off the original 2011 revolt, have called for demonstrations opposed to both military- and Islamist-led government.
In anticipation, the government earlier this week cut off train access to Cairo from southern Egypt, where support for the Islamists is strong. The police have closed off Tahrir Square, the center of the 2011 revolt. And each night security forces set up heavily armed checkpoints around the city, although the bombers evidently evaded them.In anticipation, the government earlier this week cut off train access to Cairo from southern Egypt, where support for the Islamists is strong. The police have closed off Tahrir Square, the center of the 2011 revolt. And each night security forces set up heavily armed checkpoints around the city, although the bombers evidently evaded them.