Egypt Police Neutralize Terrorist Cell in Cairo Suburb

Egyptian police cadets take part in a training session at a police academy in the capital Cairo on December 30, 2019. (Mohamed El-Shahed/ AFP)
Egyptian police cadets take part in a training session at a police academy in the capital Cairo on December 30, 2019. (Mohamed El-Shahed/ AFP)
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Egypt Police Neutralize Terrorist Cell in Cairo Suburb

Egyptian police cadets take part in a training session at a police academy in the capital Cairo on December 30, 2019. (Mohamed El-Shahed/ AFP)
Egyptian police cadets take part in a training session at a police academy in the capital Cairo on December 30, 2019. (Mohamed El-Shahed/ AFP)

While Egyptians on Tuesday were waiting in front of their TV screens for the daily COVID-19 report issued by the Health Ministry, they were surprised by news reporting a security attack on a terrorist cell in Al Amiriya neighborhood, east of Cairo.

Egypt’s Interior Ministry said its security forces killed seven suspected militants in a shootout eastern Cairo following intelligence provided by the country’s security agency.

It said clashes erupted as the forces raided a 10-story apartment in the neighborhood, where members of the cell were hiding.

The ministry, which oversees police, said the forces seized weapons and ammunition in the raid, including six machine guns and four birdshot rifles.

During the raid, Lieutenant officer Mohammed Fawzy Al Hofi and seven terrorists were killed while three others were wounded.

The cell was reportedly planning attacks on the country´s Coptic Christians during the Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Egypt´s Coptic Orthodox Christians, one the world´s oldest Christian communities, would celebrate Easter on April 19.

Local television channels showed images of the gun battle between Egyptian counter-terrorism forces and the terrorist elements while security officers were appealing to people, through speakers, to stay away from the area.

Egyptian security forces have been battling a long-running insurgency mainly in the Sinai Peninsula, northeast Egypt, spearheaded by a local affiliate of the ISIS group.

Authorities launched a nationwide operation against militants in February 2018.

Tuesday’s raid came while Egyptian authorities are busy fighting the COVID-19 outbreak.

Former Assistant to the Minister of Interior Farouk al-Makrahy said: “the cell was planning to commit its terrorist operation during the nightly curfew, taking advantage of the states’ preoccupation with fighting the coronavirus.”



Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in Washington on Monday, the State Department said.

Dermer updated Blinken on operational changes and policy decisions taken by Israel in response to a US letter sent in October, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Blinken "emphasized the importance of ensuring those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, including through the delivery of additional assistance to civilians throughout Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in the statement.