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Egypt/Terrorism: 26 suspects arrested for preparing attacks against Egyptian vital interests

Twenty-six persons including a Palestinian have been arrested in Egypt this Thursday after authorities suspected them to be linked to Al-Qaeda and to prepare terrorist attacks against the oil pipelines and foreign ships in the Suez Canal. The terrorists were in contact with “terrorist elements and organisations abroad”, said the Interior Ministry in a statement, quoting a confession of Mohamed Fahim Hussein, the leader of the cell. The group which had subscribed to a jihadist ideology similar to the Takfir and Higra, was composed of engineers and technicians able to manufacture remote-controlled bombing devices.

Police has found explosive devices and also guns including some that were used during a deadly robbery in Cairo in May 2008. During the attack, the owner and four employees were assassinated. Five suspects “gave detailed confessions on carrying out [the attack]...to fund their activities,” said the statement.

The statement also added that the terrorists were preparing attacks against vital targets in, Egypt. “Among the targets studied for terrorist attacks were foreign ships on the Suez Canal and oil pipelines,” said the statement. “It would be a worldwide mess if the canal was closed,” said Pablo Mastragostino, a broker at Nolarma Tankers SRL in the Italian city of Genoa. “Freight would go skyrocketing and whole trade routes would have to be reprogrammed,” he added.

In May, seven members of another alleged Al-Qaeda-affiliated cell were arrested after authorities suspected them to have prepared a Cairo bombing that killed a teenage French tourist. Egypt hasn’t witnessed a major militant attack since bombings in the Sinai resorts of Taba, Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab between 2004 and 2006. More than one hundred and fifty Egyptians and foreign tourists were killed during those attacks.

http://www.esisc.org/

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/07/09/78285.html

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