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Deadly Cairo Bomb Attacks Raise Fears of New Insurgency Prolonged Fight Feared in Egypt After Bombings
(about 5 hours later)
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. CAIRO — Three years after the start of its revolt for democracy, the capital was shaken Friday by four deadly bombings, in the clearest sign yet that Egypt is entering a prolonged and violent struggle between the military-backed government and a growing Islamist insurgency.
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 bombs, scattered around the city and all aimed at the police, killed six people and left in their aftermath a grim realization that a cycle of terrorism and repression is hardening the determination of each side to fight to the death, all but extinguishing the three-year-old dream of an inclusive democracy and open debate.
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. “The timing is a message that the third anniversary of the revolution will not be a celebration; they want to color it with blood,” said Moataz Abdel-Fattah, a political scientist at the American University of Cairo. “And it will only darken the political waters, with more people calling for a hard-line stance against the Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters.”
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.” Within two hours of the first and largest explosion, a car bombing at dawn outside a security headquarters, a crowd of at least 200 had gathered at the police line to cheer for Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, who deposed President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood last summer and is now poised to succeed him.
If the group is responsible, then a militant strand of Islamist radicalism will have come full circle. Where 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. “The people want the execution of the Brothers,” they chanted, blaming the Brotherhood for the attack in a bloodthirsty imitation of the calls that rang out three years ago calling for “the fall of the regime.”
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. A government statement evoked the earlier battle against a militant Islamist insurgency that flared here in the 1990s, vowing to “uproot it once again” and “show neither pity nor mercy.”
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.” “Everything is left now to the army and the police, there is no politics in Egypt,” said Fahmy Howeidy, a veteran columnist considered sympathetic to political Islam. “And if you close the door against peaceful solutions, you should expect violence as an alternative.”
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. No one had claimed responsibility Friday’s bombings by the end of the night. But the explosions 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.”
Ansar Beit al-Maqdis often quotes the leaders of Al Qaeda in video messages. Those Qaeda leaders, in turn, drew their inspiration from an ideology forged in Egyptian jails under previous crackdowns on Islamists by Presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser and Hosni Mubarak. If the group is responsible, then a militant strand of Islamist radicalism will have come full circle.
Although commentators on state television and demonstrators at the scene immediately blamed the Muslim Brotherhood, the group said in a statement that it “strongly condemns the cowardly bombings in Cairo, expresses condolences to the families of those killed” and “demands swift investigations.” It blamed the “coup authorities” for deteriorating security, including the failure to apprehend the perpetrators of previous bombings.
Security forces around the capital had been on high alert even before the bombings in anticipation of the anniversary Saturday. The police had already cut off train access from southern Egypt, where support for the Islamists is strong. Each night this week security forces have set up heavily armed checkpoints around the city, although they apparently did little to stop the bombers.
Egyptian television networks broadcast security camera footage of the scene leading up to the first attack: a handful of figures walking slowly away from a white pickup truck just minutes before it explodes.
“It felt like Judgment Day,” said Yahia, 26, who was sleeping at a friend’s home nearby and declined to give his full name for fear of reprisals. “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?”
The blast killed four policemen and injured more than 70 people, the government said in a statement. The explosion left a truck-size crater in the pavement so deep that it burst an underground water pipe. In addition to severely damaging several stories of the security building, the bomb damaged the facade and contents of the Museum of Islamic Art across the street and an adjacent national library as well.
Supporters of General Sisi began gathering almost immediately, 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.
Commentators on state television and demonstrators at the scene immediately blamed the Brotherhood for the bombings. Mohamed Ahmed, a banker, said he had come 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.”
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 at 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 news media, in an apparent reference to the Brotherhood. He called on Egyptians to take to the streets on Saturday to demonstrate in support of the police, and said the attacks would not deter them “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. Two more attacks unfolded the same morning. In the Dokki neighborhood across the Nile River in Giza, three men threw a bag of explosives at a security vehicle, killing a soldier and injuring 11 other security personnel, according to a statement from the public prosecutor. Another pro-Sisi crowd responded with the same chant for the “execution” of the Muslim Brothers.
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. The third blast came from a primitive explosive device thrown at a police station in the Talbeya neighborhood of the Haram district in Giza; no one was hurt.
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. Then, in the late afternoon, a roadside bomb in the Haram district targeted a group of police vehicles returning from the clashes with Islamists protesting the military takeover. At least one bystander was killed in the explosion.
“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?” In addition to the six people killed by the bombs, at least eight more civilian protesters were killed in battles with the police, the Health Ministry said, bringing to fourteen the total number who died Friday in political violence.
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. Deadly attacks on soldiers and police have become commonplace since the military takeover, especially in the lawless Sinai. But Friday’s attack was at least the second car bombing inside Cairo, where the government and its supporters are strongest. In September, a smaller car bomb was detonated 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.
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.” Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, a Sinai-based group whose name means “Supporters of Jerusalem,” has claimed responsibility for both the assassination of the interior minister and the Mansoura bombing. In its video messages the group often criticizes the Muslim Brotherhood for its nonviolent politics, which failed to stop the military takeover. But the new Egyptian authorities treat Ansar Beit al-Maqdis as an extension of the Brotherhood, and in response it outlawed the Brotherhood.
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. By late afternoon the streets of Cairo were eerily deserted. Military helicopters buzzed low overhead, and roadside vendors hocked Egyptian flags, hoping to capitalize on a surge in nationalistic feeling.
The explosions increased the high level of anxiety across the city about the 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. Many were increasingly fearful about Saturday. General Sisi’s supporters have called for a rally to demand that he seek the presidency. The Muslim Brotherhood has called for its own demonstrations against the military takeover. A smaller third contingent that comprises the April 6 Group and other activists who helped set off the original 2011 revolt, have called for demonstrations in opposition to either a 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.