IS threat led to closure of Western embassies in Egypt
The
United Kingdom reopened its embassy in Cairo today, more than a week after it,
along with Canada, closed its mission. The decision by the United Kingdom and
Canada to close their embassies — on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8, respectively — raised
many questions in Cairo regarding the reasons behind these measures.
The UK
Foreign Office still warns that there is "heightened threat of
terrorist attacks globally against UK interests and British nationals from
groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria," and
specifically names Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis in the Sinai Peninsula as a threat.
The
Egyptian media considered the closing of the embassies to be part of a
conspiracy. Satellite TV channels as well as newspapers, both owned by the
government and pro-regime businessmen, allowed what they referred to as
experts to state that the closing of the embassies was a conspiracy to cause Egypt to fall.
But
what is really behind the timing of the closing of the embassies and warning
against traveling to Sinai?
A
sheikh from Sinai, who is close to the Egyptian intelligence services, told
Al-Monitor, on condition of anonymity for security reasons, “The first warnings
came from the Israelis in mid-November. Israeli intelligence told its Egyptian
counterparts that it had discovered information about terrorists in Sinai
planning to abduct foreign nationals and carry out terrorist operations in South
Sinai and Cairo.”
Al-Monitor has indeed
observed unprecedented security measures adopted by the Egyptian government in
the South Sinai governorate and on all roads connecting other Egyptian
governorates, especially those leading to North Sinai from which terrorists have
previously launched their terrorist operations.
The
army and civil police have stationed military vehicles and forces on all roads
connecting South Sinai to North Sinai, turning the area into a military zone
where civilians undergo careful, individual inspection with some being randomly
arrested.
A
source who works in the tourist sector in South Sinai told Al-Monitor, “When you
travel 1 kilometer [.62 mile] on the road from [el-] Arish to Taba you encounter
a checkpoint where you are subjected to individual inspection and are treated
with suspicion. Imagine having to go through all this on a road that is longer
than 250 kilometers. Passing through this is even harder for us than traveling
to the United States!”
The
tight security measures have not only been limited to the main roads. Security
forces threatened drug smugglers and traders, who control the valleys and
complex desert roads in South Sinai, with additional sanctions in the event that
they allow terrorists from North Sinai to pass through. A drug smuggler told
Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity, “An officer told me that if they see a
shadow near the valleys, we wouldn’t even be able to sell tomatoes in this
country.”
On
Nov. 25, Israel reiterated its warnings of attacks and kidnapping by
publicly calling on its nationals to immediately leave Sinai in anticipation of
terrorist attacks against them. In this context, a researcher on security
affairs and jihadist groups in Sinai told Al-Monitor, again on condition of
anonymity for security reasons, “The decision-makers take Israel’s warnings very
seriously, especially when it comes to terrorist operations in Sinai and
Egypt.”
“Israeli intelligence
services have up-to-date information regarding the terrorist movements in Sinai
based on information gathered from inside Sinai through a network of spies planted within terrorist groups, as well as
through monitoring the terrorists’ phones and wireless devices. This is possible
since they are using the Israeli networks instead of the Egyptian ones, because
these have been cut off due to the Egyptian security measures,” he added.
Western embassies
appear to have taken such threats seriously. This became clear through
the warnings expressed by the British
Embassy on its website on Dec. 9, explaining that “closing the embassy in
Cairo was due to threats of terrorist attacks globally against UK interests and
British nationals by groups and individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq
and Syria.” The embassy also added in its statement: “We need to be vigilant at
this time since terrorists are still planning to carry out attacks in Egypt and
such attacks could happen without previous warning.”
A
source close to jihadi groups in the border area between Sinai and Israel
told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “The concerns expressed by the
Western embassies in Egypt were the result of Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis’ pledge of
allegiance to IS, especially after [they announced moving] operations to the center of Egypt, in Cairo.”
“Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of IS, instructed Ansar Bayt
al-Maqdis in Egypt to carry out attacks against the embassies, nationals and
interests of the countries participating in the international coalition against
IS. These attacks started with the bombing of pipelines of gas exported to
Jordan as a response for the country’s support for the international coalition.
In addition, William Henderson, a US oil expert, was killed in August on
his work site in Egypt’s western desert,” the source said.
The
source also said Egyptian members of IS have returned to Egypt and are receiving
orders directly from the wali (leader) of Wilayat Sinai (the name for the Sinai
Peninsula as given by Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis after joining IS). The first mission
of these trained members would be to train new groups gathered by Ansar Bayt
al-Maqdis in the center of Egypt, since the government has tightened its grip on
movement between Sinai and other governorates. Their second mission would be to
carry out operations in Cairo, targeting Egyptian security interests and Western
targets, especially those affiliated with countries participating in the war
against IS. He also said the operations would focus on bombings and
remote targeting, or abductions.
The
source explained how the terrorists are returning from abroad: “They pass
through Turkey or Lebanon using fake or stolen passports. In the event that
difficulties arise — such as the tightened border measures over the last few
weeks and the investigations conducted by the Egyptian national security forces
in airports — the terrorists travel to Sudan and other neighboring African
countries and then secretly travel by land to Egypt.”
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