Islamists raise the stake, as bombs are found on Cairo metro
Cairo (AsiaNews) - Two bombs found this morning on Cairo metro show that Islamists have changed strategy. The explosive devices were found at the Helmeyet el-Zaytoun station (northeast of the capital), a few kilometres from the city centre. Road traffic was halted in the area.
Police arrested two metro workers on charges of placing the explosive devices, but the brains behind the incident could be linked to an Islamist fringe that has declared war on the army after President Mohamed Morsi's ouster and the Muslim Brotherhood's removal from power.
"The attempted attack on the metro is the work of terrorist groups. They have changed their strategy and instead of just attacking military checkpoints and oil pipelines in the Sinai, they are trying to push their influence in the heart of Egypt," told source of AsiaNews.
Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, the main armed movement active in Sinai has allied itself with some of Muslim Brotherhood leaders to sow chaos across the country.
The same group attempted to murder Egyptian Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim on 5 September in central Cairo.
For the source, the planned attacks are a response to raids by police and Special Forces, which in little more than a month has led to the arrest of at least 1,000 leaders in the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic groups.
As part of this sweep, police and military this morning surrounded the district of Kirdasah, a settlement under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood for the past few weeks not far from the pyramids of Giza.
Police detained at least 51 Islamist militants, but one officer was killed in the clashes. (S.C.)
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