Advertisement

Bomb blast in Egypt kills key witness in Morsi trial

Islamic militant group Ajnad Misr claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed three Egyptian police officers, including a key witness in the trial against former President Mohamed Morsi.

By Fred Lambert

CAIRO, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- A bomb ignited next to Egypt's foreign ministry on Sunday, killing two police lieutenant colonels and a recruit, one of whom was a key witness in the trial against former President Mohamed Morsi.

Jihadist group Ajnad Misr, meaning "Soldiers of Egypt," claimed responsibility for the attack on its Twitter account. It is the worst violence Cairo has seen in months, although attacks claimed by the militant group -- such as the bombings of Cairo University in April -- are not uncommon since the Egyptian military deposed Morsi last year.

Advertisement

One of the policemen killed, Lt. Col. Mohamed Mahmoud Abu Sareeaa, was considered a key witness in Morsi's trial dealing with a 2011 prison break.

Morsi was elected president after Egypt's former leader, Hosni Mubarak, was removed from power during the 2011 Arab Spring. Morsi's political party was the Muslim Brotherhood, which was considered a terrorist organization in the Mubarak era. It was legalized after Mubarak's fall and further legitimized by Morsi's victory in the 2012 elections, but after the Egyptian military deposed Mursi in 2013, it was again labeled as a terrorist organization.

Advertisement

The Muslim Brotherhood has been accused of funding Ajnad Misr, among other militant groups, in an insurgency against the U.S.-backed government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Morsi's successor.

Al Aribiya reports that it is unclear whether Sareeaa was targeted or just happened to be in the vicinity of the blast.

"This new operation shows we can penetrate and reach the vicinity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs...to destroy the officers of the criminal security agencies and make them taste some of what they have made Muslims taste," Ajnad Misr posted to Twitter. "Operations of retribution and revenge by this blessed group will not stop."

Latest Headlines