(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Yoni Ben-Menachem - The suicide bombing at the Coptic church in central Cairo on Dec. 11, 2016, which killed 25 and wounded 50, and the terror attack a few days earlier on the road to the Giza pyramids that killed six police officers, reflect the Muslim Brotherhood's recovery from the assassination by Egyptian security forces a few months ago of Muhammad Kamal, who headed its military wing. It was seen as retribution for the Copts' support for Sisi's government and also as an effort to damage Christmas tourism in Egypt. While the Islamic State issued an official announcement that it was behind the bombing of the Coptic Church, Egyptian security officials believe the attack was a joint operation of the Islamic State and the Muslim Brotherhood. The writer, a senior Middle East analyst for the Jerusalem Center, served as director general and chief editor of the Israel Broadcasting Authority.
2016-12-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive