Attacks in Egypt

This item appears on page 16 of the February 2014 issue.

In Egypt, a suicide bomber attack on a police compound in the city of Mansoura (120 kilometers north of Cairo) on Dec. 24 killed 12 and injured over 100, after which the military declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group and police began a crackdown that resulted in at least 11 members of the group being killed. The Muslim Brotherhood insists it was not involved in the attack on the compound; another group claimed responsibility.

Meanwhile, an explosion near a bus in Cairo on Dec. 26 injured five, and an attack on an army building in the village Anshas (100 kilometers north of Cairo) on Dec. 29 wounded four soldiers. 

In bombings and shootings that have taken place since President Mohamed Morsi was deposed by the army in July 2013, the targets have usually been security forces, and about 350 police and soldiers have been killed, most in the Sinai Peninsula. The Muslim Brotherhood is a main supporting group for Morsi.