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December 4, 2006
Egypt: Foreign Islamists Arrested
News from AKI, Associated Press, CBC, Reuters and VOA:
Egypt has arrested several foreigners whom it claims are members of an Islamist cell, which planned terror attacks. Among those arrested were nine French citizens, an American, and two Belgians. Additionally, several Egyptian nationals, Tunisians and Syrians were also arrested. The news was announced on Monday by the Interior Ministry.
The suspects were arrested a week ago in Cairo and Alexandria, and had been under the guise of individuals in the country to study Arabic language and Islamic studies.
According to Le Monde, the French individuals include converts to Islam and Muslims of black African and north African origin, most of whom live in the Paris area. Most had been arrested in Cairo. They are aged over 25. Egypt authorized their deportation. Two other French individuals have been held in custody, and are named as Denis Boulanger and Habib Belkhair.
The Interior Ministry has not provided names or details of the American and the other individuals it mentioned. US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack confirmed a US citizen had been arrested, and said consular officials were trying to gain access to him, but would not give more information. An un-named source close to the Belgian authorities has confirmed that two of Belgian nationals have been arrested and are of Moroccan origin.
Some of those arrested in Cairo had attended the influential Al-Azhar University, the highest seat of Sunni learning in the world, as well as the largest Islamic college.
The statement from the Egyptian Interior Ministry said: "These people had links with certain terrorist organisations abroad. Investigations showed that they were trying to recruit others and indoctrinate them in their destructive beliefs and incite them to jihad and to travel to Iraq to carry out operations."
"The members of the secret organisation have adopted takfiri and jihadi ideas... It includes Arabs and foreigners resident in the country under cover of studying the Arabic language and Islamic religious learning."
Takfiri Muslims are the inheritors of the traditions of the original assassins, and they believe that if they are on a mission to kill, they can put away some of the Islamic codes, such as dress, beard and diet, in order to go unnoticed. They believe it is acceptable to kill Muslims whom they consider to be not devout. It is said that some of the 9/11 bombers, such as Mohammed Atta, were Takfiri.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at December 4, 2006 8:19 PM
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