Egyptian Islamic Jihad

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Egyptian Islamic Jihad

• Joanna Virgen

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What is Egyptian Islamic Jihad

• Egyptian Islamic extremist group
• Active since the late 1970s.
• Following the group founding, Egyptian security
  authorities began using acts of violence against
  members of Jihad by
• Imprison
• Torture
• Execution

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EIJ cont.

• In 1998 al-Jihad joined the International Front
• Merged with Al-Qaeda in June 2001 creating single
  group Qaeda al-Jihad
• Organization greater than 300 members

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Ideology of EIJ

• The group seeks to established Islamic rule in
  Egypt by force and targets and secular
  establishments that they believe to be heretical
  especially secular Arab government (CNS 2005)
• Primary goal
• Overthrow the Egyptian president Hosny Mubarak
• Replace it with an Islamic state

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Ideology cont.

•  are aimed at advancing the EIJs political and
  religious causes done with the intention of
  persuading or influencing by intimidating the
  governments and people of numerous countries
  (including Australia) intended to, and cause
  serious damage to property, the death of people
  or endanger life  intended to cause and have
  caused, serious risk to the safety of sections of
  the public in Egypt and other people visiting
  areas in which they operate.

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Egyptian Islamic Jihad cont.

• Organization operates in the Cairo area
• Has network outside of Egypt,
• Yemen
• Afghanistan
• Pakistan
• Sudan
• Lebanon
• UK

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Leaders of Egyptian Islamic Jihad

• Divided into two faction
• Ayman al-Zawahiri
• currently is in Afghanistan and it is key leader
  in terrorist financier Usama Bin Ladins new
  World Islamic Front
• Convicted on terrorism charges in April 1999 and
  imprisoned in Egypt

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Leaders of Egyptian Islamic Jihad Cont

• Vanguards of Conquest (Talaa al-Fateh), a
  faction of al-Jihad had become a victory.
• Shaykh Omar Abd al-Rahman, in a call for
  peaceful front
• Was arrested in connection with the 1993 World
  Trade Center bombing
• Currently imprisoned in United States

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Leaders of Egyptian Islamic Jihad Cont

• Mid 80s Al-Zawahiri moved to headquarters of
  Afghanistan and began recruiting Afghans Arabs
• New members were trained mujaheddin camps in
  Afghanistan and than sent off on new mission to
  Egypt
• Trained as suicide bombers

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Group Connections external aid

• Very close relationship with Al-Gamaa
  al-Islamiyya,
• Egyptian government claims group receiving
  support from Iran
• 1992 Youssef Wali (Prime Minister of Egypt)
  clamed weapons being smuggled into into Egypt to
  Al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya from Iran and the Sudan.
• Most funding received from al-Qaida after early
  1998

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Attacks by EIJ

• Specialized in armed attacks against high-level
  Egyptians Government officials
• Original Jihad responsible for the assassination
  of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981
• Wave of violence was launched against Egypts
  secular government in 1992
• Nearly 1300 people died in unrest including
• Policeman
• Government officials
• Foreign tourist
• Egyptian Christians

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Attacks by EIJ cont.

• Responsible for the attempted assassination of
• Interior Minister Hassan al-Alfi in August 1993
• Prime Minister Atef Sedky in November 1993
• In 1994 they were linked to two unsuccessful
  attempts to bomb the Israeli and U.S. embassies
  in Manila

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Attacks by EIJ cont.

• November 1995 assassination of on Egiptina
  Diplomat in Geneva
• November 1995 suicide truck bomb attack on the
  Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan
• Between 15 to 17 people killed
• Never has targeted foreign tourists
• Has threaten to retaliated against the United
  States

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Attacks Cont

• As member of al-Qaida EIJ was involved in a
  number of significant terrorist attacks
• August 7th 1998, bombing of US embassies in
  Tanzania and Kenya killing over 200 people
• The same year, the group also planed unsuccessful
  attack on the U.S. Embassy in Albania
• October 12th 2000, suicide bomb attack against
  that USS Cole, Aden, Yemen
• September 11th 2001, attack against World Trade
  Center and the Pentagon

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• October 2004, three explosions rocked Egypts red
  sea resorts killing 33 people, in majority
  Israeli tourists.
• Tape was found with massage urging Muslims to
  attack America and its allies across the world.
  (voice of Ayman al-Zawahiri).
• The massage was persuading Muslims to defend the
  Palestinians and to resist Isreal.
• For al-Zawahiri more important was to fight the
  close enemy (the Egyptian regime) than far enemy
  (Israel and the West)

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Stopping the Terror

• Egypt has waged a campaign against Jamaat
  al-Islamiyya, EIJ and other Islamist groups
  during 1990s
• state violence,
• mass arrest and
• financial crackdowns
• Government has in large succeeded in stopping
  them from carrying out terrorist attacks inside
  Egypt.

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Stopping the terror cont.

• Human rights groups indicate that Mubaraks regime
  has used torture as part of its crackdown
• Also taken family members of Islamist leaders
  hostage
• Has not conduced an attack inside Egypt since
  1993

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Bibliography

• http//www.cdi.org/terrorism/aljihad-pr.cfm
• http//cns.miis.edu/research/wtc01/aljihad.htm
• http//www.fas.org/irp/world/para/jihad.htm
• http//www.terrorismanswers.org/groups/jamaat.html