Islamic terrorist group ISIS says their affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula fired a guided rocket at an Egyptian Navy vessel near Rafah that burst into flame.
The military confirmed a frigate had been pursuing ISIS terrorists near Rafah and had “engaged in gunfire” with the extremists and the ship experienced a fire but said no one had been killed.
The terrorists, however, released a series of photos that appear to show a rocket flying toward an Egyptian frigate, causing a massive explosion and fire. The terrorists claim everyone on board was killed.
The SITE Intelligence Group told the BBC the missile appeared to be an anti-tank missile. Witnesses say that other Egyptian military craft rushed to the side of the stricken vessel.
The attack is believed to be the first time the terrorist group has launched a missile attack on a ship. It raises concerns that they would attempt to disrupt shipping traffic through the Suez Canal.
ISIS has been particularly active in Egypt over the last four weeks. The group claimed the assassination of the country’s top prosecutor, killing 21 soldiers in the town of Sheikh Zuwaid and Saturday’s bombing of the Italian Consulate in Cairo.
Leaders within Egypt’s security forces are reportedly meeting in private over concerns that the Islamic militancy growing under the Muslim Brotherhood could be a major disruption in moving the country forward.
The concern has been heightened by a bus bombing in Cairo and homicide car bombing at a police headquarters in Mansoura that killed 16 people.
“If this battlefront for militants becomes Cairo and urban centers, then the prospect for the security situation and the human toll becomes pretty grim,” Michael Hanna, an Egypt expert at the New York-based Century Foundation, told the Wall Street Journal.
While the government did not publicly blame anyone for the Thursday attack on the Cairo bus, the unspoken allegation ties it to the Muslim Brotherhood who was designated a terrorist organization by the Egyptian government on Wednesday.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Egypt’s foreign minister to express his concern about the Muslim Brotherhood being designated a terrorist group.
Egypt’s interim prime minister has stated in a televised address to his nation that today’s action against supporters of Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood was necessary because authorities had to restore security.
Hazem Beblawi said the decision to move into the camps and disperse the protesters was not easy. Continue reading →
Egypt’s interim president has told the prime minister the military has the right to arrest civilians due to the weekend of violence that has resulted in at least 72 deaths.
Officials who spoke to Fox News said the decision could be the start of a major crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. They would also crack down on Islamic extremists who have attacked security forces in the Sinai Peninsula. Continue reading →
Egypt’s defense minister issued a warning to protesters connected to Islamist groups and deposed president Mohammed Morsi to not “disrupt” the “difficult transition” of the Egyptian government.
The warning comes days after a protest by pro-Morsi activists ended in an attack on a military compound that left dozens dead. Continue reading →