Sacramento Bee Logo

Buried bombs outside Cairo University kill top police official | The Sacramento Bee

×
  • E-edition
    • Customer Service
    • SacBee Rewards
    • About Us
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Apps
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube
    • News in Education (NIE)
  • Newsletters

    • Sacramento Region
    • Arena
    • City Beat
    • Crime
    • Local Govt Salary Database
    • The Homeless
    • Marcos Bretón
    • Transportation
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health & Medicine
    • Traffic Conditions
    • Weather
    • Communities
    • Elk Grove
    • Folsom/El Dorado
    • Roseville/Placer
    • Yolo
    • Sports
    • Kings
    • NBA News
    • 49ers
    • Giants
    • Oakland A's
    • High School Sports
    • Joe Davidson
    • More Sports
    • Raiders
    • NFL News
    • MLB News
    • River Cats
    • Soccer
    • Colleges
    • Golf
    • Autos Racing
    • Politics
    • Capitol Alert
    • State Workers
    • The California Influencer Series
    • Local Elections
    • PoliGRAPH
    • State Worker Salary Database
    • Legislative Gifts
    • Local Elections
    • California Elections
    • Election Endorsements
    • Election 2018
    • Voter Guide
    • Investigations
    • Data Tracker
    • Public Eye
    • Afghan Refugees
    • Nursing Homes
    • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Election Endorsements
    • Viewpoints
    • Influencers Opinion
    • California Forum
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Submit a Letter
    • Jack Ohman
    • Editorial Board
    • Entertainment & Life
    • Arts & Theater
    • Books
    • Home & Garden
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Outdoors
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • More Entertainment
    • Events Calendar
    • Horoscopes
    • Comics
    • Puzzles
    • TV Listings
    • Sacbee Rewards
    • Food & Drink
    • Restaurants News & Reviews
    • Restaurant Directory
    • Cooking & Recipes
    • Beer
    • Wine
    • Appetizers Blog
    • California
    • Big Valley
    • Marijuana
    • Wildfires
    • Water & Drought
    • Lottery
    • Business
    • Real Estate
    • Market Summary
    • Cathie Anderson
    • Nation & World
    • National
    • World
    • Technology
    • Family
    • Celebrities
    • TV news
    • Weird News
    • Video Break
    • News Obituaries
    • Death Notices
    • FAQ
    • ObitMessenger
    • In Memoriam

    • The Sacramento Bee Store
    • Golf Card
    • Farm to Fork Dining Card
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
  • Legal Notices
  • Place an Ad
  • Advertise
  • Mobile & Apps

World

Buried bombs outside Cairo University kill top police official

By Amina Ismail - McClatchy Foreign Staff

    ORDER REPRINT →

April 02, 2014 04:18 PM

Bomb blasts Wednesday near Cairo University killed a brigadier general and wounded five other people, resurrecting fears that a violent campaign against government forces will grow as Egypt approaches presidential elections.

Ajnad Misr, or Soldiers of Egypt, a relatively new jihadist group that’s carried out a number of attacks on police officials in Cairo, claimed responsibility for the three explosions, one of which claimed the life of Brig. Gen. Tareq el-Margawy. The group, which has Facebook and Twitter pages, calls members of the security forces “criminals” and has said it works to spare civilians. It largely succeeded Wednesday; most of the wounded were police officers.

According to Interior Ministry statistics, roughly 500 police officers have been killed since July 3, when the country’s military, led by then-Defense Minister Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, ousted President Mohammed Morsi. A harsh crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, through which Morsi rose to prominence, has killed thousands of Morsi supporters in the same period. An estimated 16,000 people accused of sympathizing with the Brotherhood have been jailed.

In a statement posted hours after the attack, Ajnad Misr said it had targeted el-Margawy because of his role in the violent clearing of one of two sit-ins in support of Morsi on Aug. 14, the bloodiest day in the crackdown, when more than 1,100 people were killed.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

The group’s statement said el-Margawy “was well known for killing innocent people and taking part in Nahda massacre,” a reference to one of the sit-ins. The other, better-known sit-in was in Cairo’s Rabaa district.

The group also said it was angry about the police’s increased arrests and assaults on women and young people. “We are honored to dedicate the attack to them,” the statement read. “We promise that we will not rest as long as one of you is held.”

The location of two of the bombs – buried in a hole directly in front of a police outpost at Cairo University – suggested that the government’s grip on security is tenuous at best. A third bomb wounded no one; Ajnad Misr said that was because its detonation was delayed until civilians had left the area.

The twin bombs at the police outpost were detonated one right after the other at around noon, apparently by remote control. They left a deep crater in front of the outpost. The third bomb went off about an hour later in front of the university’s main entrance, long after the area had been cleared of passers-by.

The three explosions scattered debris across a wide area, including shards of glass from the police outpost, bits of a damaged car parked in front of the outpost and pieces of a wooden chair.

The explosions reinforced fears that el-Sissi’s decision to run for president in the May 25-26 election, which he announced last week, would lead to greater violence in this deeply polarized nation. Many hold el-Sissi responsible for Morsi’s demise. The result has been a tit-for-tat battle between insurgents and government forces.

The bombings also revealed growing dissatisfaction at the government’s inability to halt the attacks on police. Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim, who was appointed by Morsi and survived his ouster, was a special target for insult.

“If he had any feelings he would resign,” Sameh el-Masry, 40, an automotive engineer, yelled as he passed by the scene, referring to Ibrahim. El-Masry ticked off the places of other attacks. “How many police headquarters were attacked in the exact same way, Northern Sinai, Cairo, Daqahlyya?”

“We are stuck in between the Muslim Brotherhood and the leaders of the police,” el-Masry said.

Ismail is a McClatchy special correspondent. Nancy A. Youssef contributed to this report.

Visit the McClatchy Washington Bureau at www.mcclatchydc.com

  Comments  

Videos

2018 was the fourth hottest year on record

Ten lizards discovered in suitcase at Australian airport

View More Video

Trending Stories

An unsettling sight: Someone strung dead coyotes along a fence near Oakdale

February 20, 2019 12:04 PM

Reports of ‘homophobic’ emoji set off online uproar. What’s going on?

February 20, 2019 07:44 AM

Vlade Divac won DeMarcus Cousins trade and Kings are playing ‘beautiful basketball’

February 21, 2019 03:55 AM

You kill it, you grill it? New California bill would let drivers legally eat roadkill

February 21, 2019 10:18 AM

No speed limit? That could become a reality for two California highways

February 21, 2019 01:14 PM

Read Next

Pakistan re-imposes ban on US-wanted suspect’s charities

Nation & World

Pakistan re-imposes ban on US-wanted suspect’s charities

By ZAHEER BABAR Associated Press

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 22, 2019 06:58 AM

Pakistan re-imposes ban on charities run by US-wanted suspect behind 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE WORLD

Nation & World

Israeli acting foreign minister doubles down on Nazi comment

February 22, 2019 06:51 AM
Battle of the bands: Venezuela power struggle turns to music

Celebrities

Battle of the bands: Venezuela power struggle turns to music

February 22, 2019 06:47 AM
German govt denies cover-up over Berlin Xmas market attack

Nation & World

German govt denies cover-up over Berlin Xmas market attack

February 22, 2019 06:44 AM
Mexico to help “El Chapo” family seek US humanitarian visas

Nation & World

Mexico to help “El Chapo” family seek US humanitarian visas

February 22, 2019 06:36 AM
The Latest: 1 woman killed, a dozen injured in Venezuela

Celebrities

The Latest: 1 woman killed, a dozen injured in Venezuela

February 22, 2019 06:57 AM
Vandals paint swastikas on buildings in Amsterdam

Nation & World

Vandals paint swastikas on buildings in Amsterdam

February 22, 2019 06:28 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

The Sacramento Bee App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Photo Store
Advertising
  • Place a Classified Ad
  • Place a Legal Notice
  • Place a Digital Ad
  • Place a Newspaper Ad
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Corrections Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story