EGYPT: A shooting at a military checkpoint kills six army officers, in the second attack on Egyptian security forces in three days

Record ID: 354420

  • Title: EGYPT: A shooting at a military checkpoint kills six army officers, in the second attack on Egyptian security forces in three days
  • Date: 15th March 2014
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (MARCH 15, 2014) (REUTERS) PEOPLE AROUND SITE OF ATTACK THAT HAS BEEN CORDONED OFF AMBULANCE ENTERING SITE OF ATTACK SECURITY AND OTHER PEOPLE GATHERED NEARBY VARIOUS OF BOMB DISPOSAL TEAM AND THEIR KIT FIRE RESCUE VEHICLE POLICE AND MILITARY PERSONNEL AT THE SITE VARIOUS OF DEBRIS FROM EXPLOSION AND MILITARY AND RESCUE PERSONNEL LOOKING ON VARIOUS OF BOMB DIS
  • Embargoed: 30th March 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA6L0VFRQINSVRJ4TL44VTTZR98
  • Story Text: Gunmen shot dead six army officers near Cairo on Saturday (March 15) in an attack the military has blamed on the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood of deposed President Mohamed Mursi.
    Egypt has been hit by an Islamist insurgency that has mainly targeted the police and army since the military overthrew Mursi in July, and about 300 security officers have been killed in the wave of violence.
    Saturday's attack on a military police checkpoint was carried out by unidentified gunmen who then fled, according to state media. A senior security source told state TV that two bombs found near the checkpoint had also been defused.
    The army released a statement shortly after, blaming the Brotherhood, but the movement's leader Amr Darrag denied the accusation. "I condemn the killing of Egyptian soldiers. How can the Muslim Brotherhood be accused a few minutes after the attack with no evidence or investigation," he said on Twitter.
    The military-backed government condemned the attack and said it was determined to combat militant attacks.
    Saturday's checkpoint raid came two days after an officer was killed in an attack on an army bus which the military also blamed on the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood, which says it is committed to peaceful activism, condemned that attack and accused the government of trying to implicate it for political reasons.
    Analysts say they expect attacks on security forces to increase in the coming months when a presidential vote is due to take place which is widely expected to be won by army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
    Sinai-based militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for a series of high-profile attacks on senior security officials, including an assassination attempt on the interior minister last year.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register