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Monday, 29 May 2017

Security forces question suspects in Minya terror attack, strike against terrorist training camps in Sudan could be next

Security forces are questioning “a large number” of alleged terrorists suspected of involvement in Friday’s attack in Minya, which left 29 dead, Al Ahram reports. Security sources tell the newspaper that 12-15 individuals were involved in the attack. The Interior Ministry launched a manhunt in four governorates to track down the perpetrators, according to Al Shorouk. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told RT that Egypt will not allow terrorists in Libya to feel safe as the government there fails to maintain control of its territory. Shoukry also reiterated that the airstrikes Egypt launched in Derna on Friday were “legitimate self-defense” and were based on “irrefutable proof” connecting the targets in Libya and the perpetrators of the Minya attack. Libya’s military spokesman announced yesterday that Egypt and Libya will continue their military cooperation to wipe out terrorist groups, according to Youm7.

This comes as Al-Qaeda affiliate Ansar Al Sharia, which operated in Derna and Benghazi, announced on Saturday it is disbanding as a result of “heavy losses that have wiped out its leadership and decimated its fighters,” Reuters reports.

Could Sudan be next? Egyptian security officials have reportedly said that airstrikes against suspected terrorist training camps in Sudan cannot not be ruled out, according to the Associated Press. The military is closely monitoring the remote desert triangle where the borders of Egypt, Libya and Sudan meet in Egypt’s remote southwest corner, the newswire says, again citing government officials. It suggests that in light of current tensions between Egypt and Sudan, there may be little impetus to hold out on a strike against training camps.

Videos of survivors from Friday’s shooting attack in Minya recounting the incident have begun to circulate on social media, including one young boy who said that, after confirming the bus passengers were Christians, the assailants ordered them to hand over any gold in their possession before opening fire. The gunmen killed all the men on board, as well as some women and children, the boy told an interviewer (watch, runtime 1:25). In another heartbreaking video, a woman says the attackers, who wore masks and military-style uniforms, killed her husband, 4-year-old daughter, brother, sister, and brother-in-law (watch, runtime 1:39).

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