Police arrest 14 suspected members of Hasm militant group
THE SUSPECTS ADMITTED THEIR BELONGING TO HASM AND RECEIVING ORDERS TO MONITOR SECURITY TARGETS
The Ministry of Interior said Saturday it arrested 14 alleged members militant group “Hasm Movement”, and found explosive substances in their possession in Menoufiya governorate.
The suspects are accused of belonging to the banned Muslim Brotherhood organisation and of being involved in aggressive operations (against the army, police, and state properties), and are planning to implement other operations after receiving orders from their leaders abroad, according to the statement of the Ministry of Interior.
According to the statement, the suspects admitted belonging to the Hasm movement and receiving orders for monitoring security targets to attack it, in addition to participating in several operations to assassinating police officers and public figures.
Egypt is currently battling several armed groups, concentrated mainly in the Sinai Peninsula, since the ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Since then, shootings that target police, army officers, and state officials have become a near weekly occurrence in Egypt.
On Monday, police said they killed three members of the group. This came one day after the group’s affiliated Twitter account claimed to have targeted the Myanmar embassy in Cairo. Amid a security campaign against the militant group, several operations were conducted in the past months.
In September, 10 alleged militants were killed and 5 police officers injured during an exchange of fire in Al-Agouza neighborhood in Giza governorate. More operations took place in July.
Hasm Movement appeared in early 2016, and the Ministry of Interior said the group belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The movement claimed responsibility for several recent attacks in statements circulated online. In August 2016, the group said it was behind the failed assassination attempt of former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa. In October of the same year, militants driving a black private vehicle opened fire on army leader, Adel Ragaai, assassinating him in front of his residence in Al-Obour City.