"The Removal of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi–Not a ‘People’s Revolution’ as much as a Zionist one
by Mark Glenn for American Free Press Newspaper
As intended by the various Stephen Spielbergs directing the highly-televised political drama of early July 2013, the recent overthrow of Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi had all the superficial appearances of being a ‘people’s revolution’…
The truth however is that Morsi’s overthrow was as much a Zionist takedown of a problematic world leader as was the assassination of John F. Kennedy or the forced resignation of Richard M. Nixon, complete with minute-by-minute, close-up coverage, done in the interests of making a statement to any other political creatures who might be inclined to tug at their leash as well.
Much like the U.S. State Department-managed ‘Arab Spring’ that brought an end to the 30 year rule of the Western/Israeli puppet Hosni Mubarak, Zionist media outlets the world over portrayed the recent ousting of President Morsi as the inevitable uprising of an oppressed people against a ‘tyrant’ robbing them of their life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
The real story however is that Morsi–as much a carefully-picked puppet for Israeli and American interests as his predecessor Mubarak–was taken down not by the ‘little people’ in Cairo, but rather by powerful players in Tel Aviv, Washington D.C., New York and elsewhere who–after viewing recent developments in Morsi’s administration–saw Egypt (the largest and most important Arab country in the Middle East) falling out of their grasp if he were to remain in power.
That Morsi was eyeing better horizons in search of brighter futures for his country was apparent from the very beginning of his administration. A mere month after he took office he broke with both precedent and protocol when he became the first Egyptian leader to visit Iran since that nation won its independence from the deadly grasp of Israel and the West in its 1979 revolution.
According to Israel’s online news source Ynet, while in Iran, Morsi met with then-President Ahmadinejhad–singularly hated by both Tel Aviv and Washington D.C.–where the two discussed the danger that Israel poses to the region and, as Ynet stated, that perhaps Egypt would be better off abandoning its 30-year alliance with the West.
Ynet went further in describing the parameters of this meeting with statements to wit–
“During their meeting, Morsi addressed the ongoing crisis in Syria. ‘The problems in Syria can only be resolved through the mediation of such influential countries in the region as Iran…Egypt views Iran as its strategic partner, and we believe that everyone should see to it that the proper conditions for developments in the region exist.’ Ahmadinejad, on his part, said that the “region’s nations must solve the region’s problems themselves. Iran and Egypt have a key role in securing such a solution.’”
That a budding friendship had been formed with Morsi’s visit to Iran was further supported when Ahmadinejad returned the courtesy by also breaking with both protocol and precedent by becoming the first Iranian head of state to visit Egypt since the two countries broke diplomatic ties in 1979. As described in Israel’s Haaretz–
“President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for the first visit by an Iranian leader in more than three decades, marking a historic departure from years of frigid ties between the two regional heavyweights…President Mohammed Morsi gave Ahmadinejad a red-carpet welcome on the tarmac at Cairo airport, shaking the Iranian’s hand and exchanging a kiss on each cheek as a military honor guard stood at attention. The two leaders then held a 20-minute talk that focused on the civil war in Syria”.
That this political rapproachement between Egypt and Iran was headed in a direction deemed dangerous to both Israel and America was made plain in the aftermath of these meetings, when Morsi declared his opposition to any outside armed intervention in the Syrian crisis and–what’s more–insisted that Iran be part of the ‘contact group’ that would oversee a political solution to the year’s-long carnage. As reported by Agence France Press-
“Egypt on Sunday defended its idea of forming a regional contact group on Syria which would include Iran, a staunch Damascus ally, insisting that Tehran could “be part of the solution” to the Syrian crisis. ‘Solving the problem demands inviting all parties active in the region,” he said, noting that Tehran was an “influential partner” of Damascus.”
The piece then went on to quote then-Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi who said that Tehran was ‘keen on establishing relations of friendship and brotherhood” with Cairo, specifically–
‘”Egypt is the cornerstone of the region and has a special stature in the Arab and Muslim countries… and we want relations of friendship and brotherhood with it,” Salehi said, adding that Tehran hoped to restore “normal” ties with Cairo.’”
So, in other words, Egypt was getting friendly with Iran and vice versa, so much so that the 2 countries were discussing ways of cutting Israel and America out of any possible military adventurism in Syria and bringing Iran into a more prominent role in Egypt’s affairs than had previously been the case.
But Iran was not the only fly in the Zionist ointment leading to Morsi’s overthrow. Russia also loomed large, and particularly after Morsi sat down face to face with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss various items involving trade, economic development, the possibility of Russia building as many as 4 nuclear power plants and Russian assistance in developing Egypt’s various uranium mines.
And as troubling as these topics may have been to Israel and America, the one that more than likely caused the most political heartburn was what was reported by Russia Today shortly after the meeting between Morsi and Putin–
“International politics positions of the two countries also coincided a lot, as the leaders “thoroughly considered a number of acute international problems,” Putin said, and found common ground on the issues of international politics, particularly the hair-trigger situation in the Middle East, and especially emphasized the civil war in Syria. The presidents agreed that diplomacy is the only solution to the Syrian crisis and that foreign intervention into Syria is unacceptable. ‘There should be a political and legal solution of the Syrian crisis without external meddling. We are for an early ceasefire to start intra-Syrian negotiations,” Putin said, stressing that Moscow’s and Cairo’s “positions are close.” Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told the media after the talks that “The Egyptian president voiced very new, fresh and interesting ideas,” on the Syrian crisis settlement. At the end of the talks, Morsi invited Putin to pay a return visit to Egypt…”
And the final nail in the coffin for the political career of Mohammed Morsi was his stated desire that Egypt join BRICS, the new economic consortium managed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa meant to challenge the dominance of Zionist interests in the area of international finance. This–coupled with Morsi’s polite refusal of the many-strings-attached loan offer from the IMF—sealed his fate as far as Israel and America were concerned. If Egypt were to fall out of the American sphere of influence and fall into the good graces of Iran and Russia and in the process declare its independence from Zionist money, political influence and social intrigue, it would offer Iran and Russia a base of operations for undoing the entire sordid business in the Arab Middle East where America and Israel keep the various nations there unhinged, confused and off-balance.
That the fix was in and that the U.S. and her co-conspirators knew that bad political weather was on its way to Egypt is at least circumstantially apparent. In a piece appearing in The Washington Times a mere 10 days before the uprisings that resulted in Morsi’s removal, 400 American troops specially trained to “respond to any threats, including protests and riots, to the security of Israel or the peace agreement” were sent to Egypt.
Despite the feigned alarm expressed by Israel, America and the West in the aftermath of the coup unseating Mohammed Morsi from Egypt’s presidency, a simple reading of a few headlines appearing in mainstream news outlets the world over pretty much tells the picture as to what happened–
“Egypt’s coup leaders grateful for Israeli support”
“Venezuelan president: Israel, US behind Morsi ouster”
“Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood–Saudi Arabia, Israel and UAE behind Egypt coup”
“Turkey’s Erdogan says Israel behind Egypt military coup”
“Saudi King paid 1$ billion to help army remove Morsi”
“Exclusive: US bankrolled anti-Morsi activists”
“Veteran Israeli Journalist: Morsi’s Ouster ‘Good for Israel’”
And many, many others…
It may indeed be the case–as many philosphers and theologists claim–that a higher power forgives men their sins…
What must be remembered however is that this is not the misty, blissful hereafter but rather the here and now, where–geopolitically speaking—that aforementioned ‘higher power’ must unfortunately take a back seat to more brutal competitors–namely Israel and America–that presently have the world by the throat, have no patience for human frailties, who consider the word ‘forgiveness’ just as vulgar as it is blasphemous and expect unquestioning obedience from the political leaders they spend so much time choosing and vetting.
--MORE--"
I'm told Morsi is in good health, according to his family, as he is to be tried not once, not twice, but three times. The military is now Egypt's dominant political power as Morsi's supporters protest and disrupt the trial and call for a reversal of coup.
Thus the trial is delayed as Morsi is literally silenced before it once again resumes amid protests as a "new Egyptian militant jihadi group issued its first statement, claiming responsibility for planting explosives and attacking security men and police stations."
I mean, what's next, he was spying for Iran?
Related: Judges quit trial of Muslim Brotherhood leader, aides
What were the charges?
"As the Muslim Brotherhood gained power through parliamentary and presidential elections, Essam el-Erian, one of the last few prominent leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, began to sound increasingly strident, even erratic. He publicly reprimanded Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey — a hero to Islamists across the Arab world — for suggesting that Islamists in Egypt had nothing to fear from a secular, democratic government like Turkey’s. He urged Egyptian Jews who had fled in past decades to come home from Israel because he predicted an end to the Jewish state. Most fatefully, in December 2012, when the police refused to protect Morsi’s office in the presidential palace from demonstrators, Erian led public calls for Brotherhood members and other Islamists to defend the building themselves, by force if necessary."
Related: Brotherhood spokesman Gehad al-Haddad held in Egypt
Haven't seen either since.
Another high profile trial in Egypt:
"Officials called to testify on Hosni Mubarak; Former leader grins and waves to his supporters" by Aya Batrawy, Associated Press September 15, 2013
CAIRO — As the trial resumed, the army continued its largest offensive in years against militants in northern Sinai. Security officials said Saturday they uncovered explosives aimed at an Egyptian border post near a tunnel from Gaza, with a detonating wire leading back through a tunnel to Gaza.
Military intelligence officials said the discovery was another sign that Gaza-based militants are involved in attacks on Egyptian security forces.
I'm told "Hamas militants were behind the attacks on prisons and police stations in the northern Sinai Peninsula, which borders Gaza."
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Over the past weeks, the military has bulldozed homes along the Gaza border and caved in tunnels beneath them in preparations for creating a buffer zone to reduce weapon smuggling and militant crossings.
Like I said, acting more like Israel every day.
Brotherhood and Hamas officials have long denied any connection to the prison breaks or attacks on security forces in Sinai. The Brotherhood says the allegations are part of a propaganda blitz that has portrayed the group as a terrorist organization that must be banned.
‘‘The authority of power and of the coup turned the victims into the perpetrators and the perpetrators into the victims . . . completely and clearly surpassing the simplest rules of justice, which are essential to the viability and stability of nations,’’ the Brotherhood said in a statement Saturday.
There has never been a definitive accounting of who was behind the prison attacks, in which more than 20,000 inmates escaped as police tried to crush the massive protests that swept Mubarak from power....
--more--"
"Hosni Mubarak, sons convicted of millions in embezzlement" by David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times May 22, 2014
CAIRO — A criminal court convicted former President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday of embezzling millions of dollars of public money for his personal use in private homes and palaces in a case that rights advocates say could now implicate the current prime minister and spy chief as well.
After his conviction by the three-judge court, Mubarak, who is 86 and living in a military hospital overlooking the Nile, was sentenced to three years in prison. His sons, Gamal and Alaa, were each sentenced to four years for their roles in the embezzlement scheme. The court ordered the three to pay penalties and make repayments totaling more than $20 million, apparently in addition to $17 million they have already repaid.
The former president received a life sentence in a separate case two years ago, for directing the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising that ended his rule in 2011. But the presiding judge acknowledged at the time that the evidence was thin, and an appeals court threw out the conviction and ordered a retrial. Mubarak is expected to appeal the latest verdict as well, although the evidence in this case — including more than a thousand original and forged receipts as well as the testimony of participants in the fraud — is far more substantial.
Mubarak “gave himself and his sons license to embezzle public funds, helping themselves without oversight or consideration,” Judge Osama Shaheen said in announcing the verdict Wednesday. “Therefore, they deserve to be punished.”
Whether Mubarak remains in the military hospital by his own choice or under a form of detention is unclear, and there were no signs of his immediate transfer to prison Wednesday.
But the new conviction may spare the government installed last summer by the country’s defense minister, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a potential embarrassment: the chance that Mubarak might walk the streets a free man again. Sissi, who resigned from the military in March to run for president, is poised to win next week’s election, and critics accuse him of returning Egypt to Mubarak-style autocracy.
Sissi has instead sought to portray his rise to power as an extension of the 2011 uprising and has vowed not to allow a return of the corruption that flourished during Mubarak’s three decades in power.
But Mubarak’s conviction could create problems for other high-ranking Egyptians. Under the scheme, prosecutors say, public funds were diverted with the complicity of the state-run construction company, the Arab Contractors. Its chairman at the time was Ibrahim Mehlib, who is now prime minister of the government Sissi installed. And a corruption investigator who built the case has filed a lawsuit alleging that his former boss — General Mohamed Farid el-Tohamy, once a high-ranking corruption watchdog — suppressed the inquiry and covered up the evidence. Tohamy, a mentor to Sissi during his army career, is now the new government’s chief of general intelligence.
The court convicted Mubarak and his sons Wednesday of embezzling more than $17 million over eight years, ending in 2011.
In court filings, the prosecutors accused the Mubaraks of fraudulently billing the government for personal expenses, including utility bills, interior design, landscaping, and home furnishings for a variety of private homes as well as a public palace that was fraudulently transferred to their ownership.
--more--"
I don't know how you defend such a thing, but....
"Egyptian judges drop all charges against Mubarak" by David D. Kirkpatrick and Merna Thomas, New York Times November 30, 2014
CAIRO — An Egyptian court acquitted Mubarak, his two sons, and a wealthy business associate of corruption charges; the three others had come to personify the rampant self-dealing of Mubarak’s era as much as the president himself.
About 1,000 demonstrators gathered around Tahrir Square at night to protest the decision, but heavily armed security forces had closed off the symbolic roundabout, and by 9 p.m., the police were firing tear gas and birdshot to drive away the crowds.
More than five months after the inauguration of a military-backed strongman, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the authorities appeared to calculate that the Egyptian public was so weary of unrest that it had lost a desire for retribution.
A short time later, Mubarak, in a telephone interview with a supportive progovernment talk show host, suggested a conspiracy had been behind the 2011 uprising.
“They turned on us,” he said, and when asked if he meant “the Americans,” he replied that he could not explain over the phone....
--more--"
It is a "sweeping repudiation of the Arab Spring," I am told.
Also see: Egypt court acquits Mubarak official
Related:
Egyptian Army Ends Morsi Protests
Obama Immobili$ed By Egyptian Coup
Israel Endorses Egyptian Coup
Meaning everything is back to normal.
Now about the new guy:
"And the truth shall set you free
by Abu Dharr
September, 2013
Who exactly is General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi? Born to a Moroccan Jewish mother, his maternal uncle was a member of David Ben Gurion’s political party. How did this Sephardi sleeper stay within the loop without being exposed for so long and rising to the top spot in the military?
In the second half of August 2013 (Shawwal 1434ah) the Egypt of Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abduh, Imam Hasan al-Banna, al-Shahid Sayyid Qutb, Shaykh Mahmud Shaltut, the Egypt of al-Azhar University, and the Egypt of concentric Arab-African-Islamic circles is being torched. It is the same Egypt that had stood for independence and support of their Algerian brothers against French colonialism, their Arabian brothers against Saudi reactionism, and their Palestinian brothers against Israeli occupation. On Wednesday, August 14 and again on Friday August 16 hundreds (according to other reports, thousands) of Egyptians were mowed down or mangled by a military force that takes its orders from Washington and Tel Aviv. From Cairo to Alexandria to al-Giza to al-Minya to Suez and all the provinces in between and beyond in the Land of the Nile, masjids, churches, government buildings, public service facilities and whatever else was within range, came under a torrent of firearms and firepower that left the average Egyptian in a daze as to why all hell broke loose in Egypt so fast and so soon!
Some thought that the Ikhwan were pushing for a repeat scenario of what happened on January 28, 2011 when police stations and prisons were ransacked by the revolutionaries. The supreme guide of the Ikhwan, Muhammad Badi‘, called for “the continuation of peaceful protests” but then videos appeared here and there and on the internet giving the impression that the Ikhwan and/or their supporters occupied firing positions on the 15th of May Bridge in Cairo and other places in other cities.
As chaos was the order of the day, individuals wearing black masks and carrying the black al-Qaeda banner and riding on motorcycles began to whiz through the streets of Cairo brandishing automatic weapons. Some of them were driving around in cars and distributing weapons to any taker, especially in Ramses Square where the Ikhwan were holding their nonviolent demonstration. The railway line between Cairo and Asyut was blown up. At least one army barracks was the sight of hand-grenade attacks. You can add to the above literally hundreds of other similar scenarios in which the mainstream media impression has been a life-and-death clash between the Ikhwan and those that have illegally usurped state authority. The Egyptian Interior Ministry has been leading the propaganda charge. At this point the anti-coup forces (Islamic and secular) are preparing for unaggressive demonstrations and law-abiding protests for the foreseeable future.
As if the pandemonium in the streets were not enough, a Dr. Ahmad Karimeh, professor of Comparative Fiqh at al-Azhar University, came out with a statement saying that the Shari‘ah Council of ‘Ulama has declared the Ikhwan renegades and recreants who are in effect murtaddin. This al-Azhar faculty member went on to say that assets belonging to the Ikhwan should be confiscated to pay for all the damage they have done in this mayhem — as was decided by the faqihs of Shari‘ah! For all practical purposes, we now have an Egypt that abandons the mind and fills the imagination.
As Egypt is disintegrating the Saudi monarch — the octogenarian — makes his elderly move; King ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz comes out of his calcified silence and officially announces his country’s support for (official) Egypt’s stand against (Ikhwani) terrorism. Where are the Ikhwan in the Saudi orbit when you need them? His lunacy of lofty levels said, “Indeed, the Saudi Arabian people and government stood and stand with their brothers in Egypt against terrorism.” And he went on to say that anyone who interferes in the internal affairs of Egypt will be fueling fitnah (sedition).
Then the royal class in Jordan and the Emirates went on record to support the Saudi king’s words. Of course, the unelected officials in Egypt were double quick to thank their paymasters in the Arabian Peninsula for their supportive roles. Saudi Arabia rewarded the coup generals with $5 billion, the Emirates with $4 billion, and the Kuwaitis with $3 billion. On the other side, the Egyptian foreign ministry canceled joint military maneuvers with Turkey and recalled its ambassador from Ankara.
To add an “Islamic” touch to this coup, civil strife, and bloodshed we are entertained by the Mufti of Saudi Arabia, his coroneted eminence Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Aal al-Sheikh who counseled the pulpiteers in the kingdom not to embroil prayer attendees with “political issues.” He went on to advise these preachers to be careful in selecting speeches — especially ones that deal with social issues and to avoid such topics as are beyond the musallins’ (prayer attendees’) ability to comprehend and understand.
We wonder if there are any Ikhwani decision makers who are taking note of who is who in the destruction of Egypt! It is not the Shi‘is, the Iranians, the Syrians, or Hizbullah who are blessing the national Egyptian hemorrhage, you can wager your inheritance on that.
This brings us to an issue that has been whispered inside the Egyptian household with no one providing an answer. The question is: who is General ‘Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi? Some Israeli press reports equate him with Jamal ‘Abd al-Nasir! Other news items about him tell us he was the intelligence officer who was liaising with his Israeli counterparts during the Mubarak era.
Our sources in Egypt who are well connected provide us with some startling information. To begin with, Egypt has had its own traitors and turncoats. One recent one was Yusuf Butros Ghali. He may have been the point man who reported all Egyptian internal secrets to his imperialist and Zionist connections. The infamous Elie Cohen [aka Kamal Amin Thabet] who did his outstanding espionage work in Ba‘thist Syria during the 1950s and 1960s and who was caught in his espionage act and hanged in a public square in Damascus was a Yahudi Egyptian. When the Israeli political-military establishment ceases to exist we will discover many more spies and agents whose loyalty was to Tel Aviv and Washington, and not to Cairo. Mr. Yusuf Wali, former minister of agriculture, was accused of causing cancer to Egyptian consumers because of his agriculture policies; and when asked about his origin: is it a Yahudi one, he answered, “Al-Islamu yajubbu ma qablahu: Islam cancels all that preceded it.” A fine way to wiggle out of a direct question.
But who is this al-Sisi? At least one American news report wants us to believe he is an “Islamist” — but a moderate one! There are murmurs and rumors in Egypt about al-Sisi’s mother. Who is she? And the available answers are that she is a Moroccan Jewess. In normal circumstances there would be nothing wrong with being Moroccan or Jewish. But we are not dealing with normal circumstances. Someone whose mother is Moroccan and Jewish and then becomes Egypt’s Minister of Defense, and now the ultimate authority, raises serious questions. Add to that the favorable press he is receiving in Israel and we have exclamation marks hugging question marks all over our mind and psyche.
This coup leader, illegitimate ruler, and arbitrary chief executive and commander for the last two months, and before that the Defense Minister — who is he? This Mr. al-Sisi has been complicit with the Israelis in killing innocent people in the Sinai Peninsula. Our source in Egypt who is very active politically and very well versed on Egyptian matters investigated al-Sisi’s family lineage. And what he came up with is that there is reason to believe that al-Sisi is a crypto-Muslim.
For those interested (that is, if the information has not been deleted by the time you read this article) refer to a Moroccan on-line site called Hispress. On that site there is an attempted answer to a question raised by some quarters pertaining to the origin of General ‘Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi’s mother. And the answer was that his mother hails from Moroccan Jews in the city of Asefi. The on-line site divulges the mother’s name as Malikah Titani; she married in 1953 and acquired Egyptian citizenship in 1958. She relinquished her Moroccan citizenship to make it possible for al-Sisi to be admitted to the (Egyptian) Military Academy in 1973.
We are told that ‘Uri Sibagh or Sabbagh, the maternal uncle of General al-Sisi, was born in Asefi, Morocco. He studied at an institution in Casablanca; he also lived in the city of Marrakesh. He joined the underground Jewish Defense League (Hamagein) from 1948–1950. These types of news items are found in the Algerian newspaper al-Watan and many other electronic sites. We learn from them that the Sibagh or Sabbagh family joined the (Israeli) Mapai Party in 1951 and some made it all the way to its central committee in 1959. ‘Uri Sabbagh worked as a professional instructor in Bi’r al-Sab‘ (Beersheba) from 1957–1963. He worked as a supervisor of professional teaching from 1963–1968. From 1968–1981 he was secretary of the (Israeli) Labor Party in Beersheba. And from 1974 to 1982 he was a member of the Histadrut Coordination Committee.
The name of the maternal uncle of General al-Sisi is listed in the registrar of the 10th Knesset as member of the ruling party at that time, Mapai, the founding party of the Israeli nation-state headed at the time by Ben Gurion. Further information about al-Sisi’s uncle can be obtained from the Knesset archives. By the time Sisi’s mother Malikah got married in 1953, her brother (al-Sisi’s maternal uncle) had made his ‘aliyah to Israel two years earlier (1951). So when General al-Sisi was born his maternal uncle was not only a Yahudi, he was also an Israeli belonging to the ruling party, after having polished his credentials as a member of Zionist organization(s) in Morocco.
Al-Sisi’s mother gave up her Moroccan citizenship in 1973 so that her son could be admitted to the Egyptian Military Academy from which he graduated in 1977. General al-Sisi has not responded yet to this whisper campaign in Egypt. He may come out saying that Malikah is not his mother. Or that Malikah is his mother but she is not a Jewess, and ‘Uri Sabbagh is not his maternal uncle. Or that Malikah is his mother and that she is Jewish but that ‘Uri Sabbagh is not her brother. In such circumstances General al-Sisi should produce his birth certificate, the birth certificate of his mother, the names of his aunts and their religion. Once this information is made public we will be happy to abide by the facts. The father of General al-Sisi is yet another story to be told. It is said his roots go back to the land of Sis which is a province of Armenia. His (Armenian) family settled in Manufiyah, Egypt.
This is the information provided by an Egyptian Islamic insider. With all the bloodletting and social upheaval in Egypt it will be very hard to convince the easy-going and peace-loving Egyptians that it is one of them who is bringing the Egyptian household down on its occupants — with blood flowing in the streets and with cries of innocent victims soliciting the mercy of the Almighty in heaven. What is now a whispering-campaign inside the Egyptian populace may become a roar for justice if the current butchers of Egypt do not come clean. And the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Ittaqu da‘wata al-mazlum, fa-innahu laysa baynahu wa-bayna Allahi hijab: Avoid the plea of the victim, because between him and Allah there is no barrier.”
--MORE--"
Related:
"Field Marshal Abdul-Fattah el-Sissi, the military leader who removed Egypt’s first freely elected president last year, took the first formal steps on Monday to become president himself, setting the stage for a return of the military-backed government that had appeared to end three years ago. Sissi’s positions on most policy issues remain a mystery, and the defining characteristic of his six months as Egypt’s de facto ruler has been a ruthless crackdown on the Brotherhood and, increasingly, on liberal dissenters as well. If he is elected as expected, Sissi would also bring to the office some important assets, including personal charisma, an up-by-the-bootstraps life story, and an easy fluidity in the language of Islam that eluded his military predecessors. His deftly choreographed performance as the national hero who saved Egypt from despair and division after the vexed one-year rule of Morsi has endowed him with an extraordinary personal popularity, not seen since the 1950s when Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser ended the British-backed monarchy. The security crackdown also swept away secular-leaning activists and youth leaders as part of a wave of intimidation of critics, sparking fears among some of a return to a Mubarak-style police state."
Or worse.
Don't they have a Constitution?
Some 98 percent of voters endorsed the draft constitution, drawn up by a panel of mostly secular-minded politicians and specialists. Liberal and secular-minded activists said they will not join forces with rival Islamists in their rallies.
Join them in the jails then because Sissi is "a nationalist leader." (It was then that Egypt’s military-backed authorities stepped up their crackdown on the liberal icons).
About that vote:
Three killed as hundreds of Islamists rally ahead of referendum
Dissent stifled as Egyptians prepare to vote on constitution
Egypt charter seen headed for big win
Egypt vote reveals heavy support, big divide
"Approval of the revised Constitution is widely expected, but the margin and turnout could provide some measure of the depth of public support for the military’s takeover in July. It could also offer clues about a potential presidential campaign by Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, the defense minister who removed Mr. Morsi."
"The new charter, drafted by a liberal-dominated committee appointed by the military-backed government. Illustrating the high stakes, the government and the overwhelmingly pro-military media have portrayed the balloting as the key to the nation’s security and stability."
"The staggering approval vote also called up memories of the one-sided election results that marked the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak. The reported turnout of about 35 to 38 percent of eligible voters this week did not significantly surpass the percentage of Egyptians who voted in a 2012 referendum on a constitution drafted by Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies, but that constitution passed with just 63 percent approval. Election monitors reported serious violations and irregularities in the voting, including intimidation of the constitution’s opponents, but they have not officially accused authorities of fraud or ballot-stuffing. Many Egyptians view passage of the constitution as a stepping-stone toward political and economic stability after years of after years of turmoil."
Rigged elections also provide stability:
"There have been growing calls for Sissi to run, with many among Egypt’s turmoil-exhausted public saying only a strongman can deal with the country’s myriad problems. Ecstatic crowds gathered across the country Saturday in government-sponsored rallies marking the third anniversary of the start of Egypt’s 2011 revolution, with many openly calling for Sissi to run."
He's backed by thousands as support grows.
"Support for a strongman to lead Egypt follows nearly three years of turbulent political transition, with almost daily protests that had progressively turned violent, and an economy in tatters. Many Egyptians have also been disappointed in the youth groups and new political parties that arose after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak."
"Sissi’s campaign said more signatures continue to pour into its Cairo headquarters, something it described as a ‘‘unique example of support and national backing’’ for the 59-year-old career soldier. The US- and British-trained Sissi is favored to win next month’s vote. He has enjoyed nationwide support in the nine months since he ousted Morsi."
Anyone else running?
"Hamdeen Sabahi appeals to a range of liberal, leftist, and secular-minded Egyptians who reject both military and Islamist rule; however, Sabahi, a journalist and sometimes actor, was an opposition leader under Morsi and has sent assuring messages to the military and Sissi supporters while disassociating himself from Morsi supporters and Mubarak loyalists."
What a fraud!
Egyptian Cabinet to resign, official says
The move opens the way for the top general to run for president.
"The promotion of Mehlib, who was a member of Mubarak’s ruling political party, comes amid growing criticism of Egypt’s military rulers for rehabilitating the institutions and faces of the Mubarak era. After months of silence, a cautious discussion is surfacing in public about allegations of torture by the security services, and the detentions of thousands of political prisoners. There have also been rare, but audible, complaints about el-Sissi’s possible presidential candidacy and the return of Egypt to military rule."
The signal of dictatorship is the consolidation of power despite protest even if the elections are boycotted and violence flares before the vote.
Poll: Only slight majority in Egypt backs el-Sissi
Egypt presidential vote flawed, international observers say
Like I said, it was a rig job -- although I suppose Egyptians are used to it.
You better salute the new leader or you may face arrest.
President-elect looks to rebuild Egypt’s economy
The Egyptians happy the army is back in power, huh?
Sissi says he is seeking an ‘inclusive’ Egypt, and yet:
Egypt judges call for disbanding Islamist group
Because military trials allow expedited convictions, they were a favorite tool of former President Hosni Mubarak, although he never jailed or killed as many Islamists in a two-month period as this new government has.
Did you see that?
Egyptian court slaps ban on Muslim Brotherhood
The money, assets, and buildings were ordered seized as part of an ever-tightening crackdown.
Egypt court upholds Muslim Brotherhood ban
Egypt court dissolves Muslim Brotherhood party
Egypt calls Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group
Egypt broadens attack on Muslim Brotherhood
Crackdown stirring unrest across Egypt
Morsi backers, police clash in Egypt
Egyptian protesters jailed in crackdown
16,000 jailed in Egypt’s round-up
Memorial at Egypt’s Tahrir Square sparks protest
Egyptian revolutionaries return to Tahrir Square
Police fire tear gas at Morsi supporters in Tahrir Square
Islamists vilify army before Cairo rally
Egyptian soldier killed in ambush
Islamists hold scattered protests across Egypt
Police arrest 40 protesters at Islamist rallies
Protesters shouted slogans against the police and armed forces and blocked traffic.
Remind you of anything, American?
Riot police, Islamist supporters clash in Egypt
Egyptian police storm two universities over protests
Police use tear gas on Cairo students
Police tear gas students in Cairo
Student dies as riot police break up protest in Egypt
Egypt disperses Islamist protest
Egypt breaks up Islamist gathering
Egypt moves against both terror and dissent
2 killed in Egypt as protesters clash
Small clashes in Egypt leave 3 dead
Bombings, clashes leave 10 more dead in Egypt
25 killed in clashes on anniversary of Egypt uprising
In its statement, the Brotherhood appealed to secular youth groups to unite with it in protests. Secular youth groups, however, have shunned the Islamists, whom they equally accuse of undermining the 2011 uprising’s goals while in power.
I know the Brotherhood is a creation of British intelligence nearly a century ago and is now an arm of rich Middle East oil sheikdoms, but the shunning proves the "youth groups" are working for the U.S.
51 Egyptians killed in new street violence
The clashes took place on the 40th anniversary of the start of the 1973 Mideast war with Israel, a holiday that the military-backed government had wanted to use to pay tribute to the nation’s armed forces. The scene of the fighting contrasted sharply with a carnival-like mood in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square, where thousands of supporters of the military waved Egyptian flags, blew whistles, and touted posters of Army chief General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
Egyptians criticize regulation on protests
Egyptian antiterror proposals decried
Time to shift tactics as Satterfield takes over the ambassadorship.
Egyptian militants kill police general
Egypt police general killed in blasts
Militants expand targets in Egypt, killing 9
Top Egypt official survives blast
No one claimed responsibility. The Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group leading protests against the removal of Morsi, its ally, denounced the attack. But Egyptians reacted with grim anticipation, convinced the assassination attempt marked a return to the kind of violent insurgency that erupted in the 1990s.
Egyptian court convicts 3 leaders of uprising
Egypt police officers cleared in 2011 killings
Egypt police jailed over 2010 death of Khaled Said
Awwww, he deserved it. He was a drug addict.
Egypt convicts four police in deaths of Islamist detainees
But not for murder.
13 men face trial for attacks at rallies
Let the mass executions begin!
About 180 people sentenced to death in Egypt mass trial
Egyptian court sentences 188 people to death
Egypt sentences more than 680 to death
Egypt sentences 4 Muslim Brothers to death
Also Sunday, Egyptian officials increased security around the British Embassy in Cairo, which was closed to the public because of security fears. Other Western governments warned their citizens of heightened danger in the Egyptian capital.
Another Lavon Affair, or what some may call ‘‘black terrorism.’’
Related: Bomb blast aboard Egyptian trains kills four
At least the curfew is coming to an end.
Egypt president asks for patience over power cuts
Which he will get from the U.S.:
Then is on to the bu$ine$$ section and wait until you :
"In 2013, the State Department, which has more than 400,000 likes and was recently most popular in Cairo, said it would stop buying Facebook fans after its inspector general criticized the agency for spending $630,000 to boost the numbers."
This in an age of austerity and sequestration, and how can we ever believe a social media campaign cited in the propaganda pre$$ ever again?
"The United States provides Egypt with $1.5 billion a year in aid, $1.3 billion of which is military assistance. While leaving the exact amount to be suspended up to the president, the principals have recommended that it include all foreign military financing to Egypt’s army except for money that supports security in the increasingly volatile Sinai Peninsula and along Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip, the officials said. Assistance used to pay US companies that sell Egypt military equipment would be suspended if Obama accepts the recommendation but those firms would be compensated with so-called ‘‘wind up’’ payments that could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the officials."
As you know, the war machine always gets taken care of.
"A Senate panel approved a bill Wednesday that would allow the United States to resume its full $1.6 billion aid relationship with Egypt by granting President Obama the power to waive a federal law based on national security that advances US and Israeli security."
They hand him the power of a dictator so he can serve their masters, and then they complain about it.
US citizen dies in Egyptian prison
Security officials earlier said James Lunn was a retired US Army officer, a claim denied by the State Department.
Meaning he was a spy.
"A prominent American scholar critical of the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has been barred from entering Egypt, in what appears to mark a new escalation of the government’s clampdown on dissent. The scholar, Michele Dunne, is a senior associate in the Middle East program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who spent 17 years as a specialist for the State Department, with postings in Cairo and Jerusalem (New York Times)."
The Globe is under no illusions regarding the renewed repression of AmeriKa's faltering ally as the military-backed government’s crackdown is expanding along with a blanket of intimidation against military actions and officials and media have fanned pro-military nationalist sentiment, part of a campaign to rehabilitate the image of the security agencies in a crackdown that continues daily as the authorities continue to hunt down wanted leaders and gone after members’ relatives. Calls for dialogue are ignored.
No exceptions:
Egypt to put 20 Al-Jazeera journalists on trial
Network newsmen convicted in Egypt
Embarrassing for Kerry because he was in Cairo to renew the partnership.
Egypt president won’t pardon Al-Jazeera journalists
He then changed his mind and faced the devil and turned him away because of the insults that are being investigated (Morsi's son is named Osama?).
Ahmed Seif, 63; pioneering Egyptian civil rights lawyer
Was it murder?
All this is having an effect on Sissi's image:
"Sissi was in Moscow on a visit widely seen as the latest in a series of carefully choreographed steps from general to president, and even before the two leaders met, his wardrobe had already dominated the news. Photographs of the field marshal striding forward in a civilian suit instead of his customary military uniform filled both the state and private media: a more presidential look. The trip also served to demonstrate his strength at home and abroad by delivering a message to Washington about Egypt’s independence. Sissi’s stated purpose was to negotiate a deal to buy Russian weapons with money donated by the Persian Gulf sponsors of the new military-backed government, reportedly as much as $2 billion. Such a purchase would send a signal that the Egyptian military was not solely reliant on the United States, which normally gives Egypt about $1.3 billion a year in military equipment and services but has suspended certain shipments in response to the military ouster last summer of its first freely elected president, Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood."
That means the MB was abandoned by its Gulf patrons, and must be why Obama and the Congre$$ resumed aid.
Egypt’s powerful intelligence chief replaced
What did he know?
"A fight between two families sparked by a dispute in a line to buy bread killed nine people, security officials said. The officials said the feud began a month earlier in the governorate of Assiut when a member of the Shaibaa tribe was killed in a fight over who was first in line. Four members of the rival family were charged. Officials said members of the Shaibaa pursued the defendants’ relatives, killing two and their driver, and that the bereaved relatives then went to the house of the Shaibaa and killed six (AP)."
At least Sissi is protecting the women:
Egypt’s president makes sexual harassment a crime
Yeah violence against women in public has been growing.
Video of mass sexual assault taints Egyptian inauguration
Egypt’s leader to crack down on sexual harassment
The suit makes him look less dictatorial, right?
Egyptian leader visits assault victim
Egypt sentences 7 to life for sexual assaults
3 Egyptians jailed for sexual assaults
Court frees Islamist women, teens imprisoned for protest
Egypt acquits doctor in female genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation is practiced among Muslims and Christians in 29 countries, most in East and West Africa but also in Iraq and Yemen.
Some things transcend cultural sensitivities, and that is one of them.
‘‘It just shows how closely Egyptians thought of animals on some basic level as being very similar to human beings. The Egyptians believed that animals had souls,’’ said Edward Bleiberg, the exhibition’s curator."
They don't?
Maybe they were stolen.
"Bombing at Egyptian police station kills 15; Vulnerability highlighted with key vote looming" by Mohammed Wagdy | Associated Press, December 25, 2013
MANSOURA, Egypt — A powerful blast ripped through a police headquarters in an Egyptian Nile Delta city Tuesday, killing 15 people and wounding more than 100 in the deadliest bombing yet in a campaign of violence blamed on Islamist militants.
The attack, which occurred as top security officials met to work out arrangements for an upcoming constitutional referendum, underlined the vulnerability of Egypt’s police amid fears of increased militant violence before the Jan. 14-15 referendum.
The vote is a key step in the country’s political transition after the military’s ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July, but it has further stoked political tensions, with Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood protesting against the new charter.
Authorities quickly sought to pin blame for the blast on the Brotherhood, the military-backed interim government’s top political nemesis. With the group continuing protests, the government has increasingly depicted it as directly behind the wave of violence, without providing evidence in public.
The attack hikes pressure on the government by anti-Islamists to take tougher action against the group, including enforcing a court-ordered ban on it, possibly declaring it a terrorist organization and passing a controversial harsh new antiterrorism law. The Brotherhood condemned the attack and accused the government of scapegoating it.
And who benefits?
At the funeral for the victims of the blast, including 14 policemen and a civilian, hundreds massed in a main square of the city of Mansoura where the bombing took place, chanting, ‘‘The people want to execute the Brotherhood.’’
They raised posters reading ‘‘no to terrorist groups’’ and pictures of military chief General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who removed Morsi and is the country’s most powerful figure. Some in the crowd set fire to the car of a man who flashed a pro-Morsi symbol.
Egypt has seen an escalating campaign of spectacular bombings, drive-by shootings, assassinations, and mass killings, mainly against security forces, in the aftermath of Morsi’s ouster and the subsequent deadly crackdown on the Brotherhood, which left hundreds dead and thousands injured.
Thousands of Morsi supporters have been arrested. Hesham Kandil, the prime minister during Morsi’s presidency, was reportedly arrested Tuesday to serve a previously issued one-year prison sentence.
Most attacks have been centered on the Sinai Peninsula, where multiple militant groups operate, but the insurgency has been spreading to the capital Cairo and heavily populated Delta.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Tuesday’s blast, but senior military and security officials said it carried the fingerprints of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or the Champions of Jerusalem, which has emerged as the main Sinai-based militant group.
Another Israeli-sponsored outfit!?
Related: Egypt forces raid militant bomb factory near Cairo
The group has claimed most of the biggest attacks of past months, including a failed attempt to assassinate the interior minister in Cairo in September. Only days earlier, the group threatened more attacks, saying it considers Egyptian troops and police to be infidels because they answer to the secular-leaning military-backed government.
Pffffft!
The bombing at the security headquarters in Mansoura — a provincial capital 70 miles north of Cairo that is considered a stronghold for the Brotherhood — was the most significant yet outside the Sinai. The same building had been targeted in July, when an explosive planted outside killed a policeman and wounded another.
Tuesday’s 1:10 a.m. blast brought down an entire section and side wall of the five-floor building. Dozens of parked cars and police vehicles were incinerated, and several nearby buildings were damaged, including a bank and theater. Windows of nearby houses were shattered.
Two top officers were among the dead, and Mansoura’s security chief was injured, losing an eye, the state news agency MENA reported.
--more--"
Are you sure it wasn't building itself?
"At least 5 dead in Cairo bombings" by Maggie Michael and Sarah El Deeb | Associated Press, January 24, 2014
CAIRO — A string of bombings hit police around Cairo on Friday, including a suicide car blast that ripped through the city’s main police headquarters and wrecked a nearby museum of Islamic artifacts. Five people were killed in the most significant attack yet in the Egyptian capital at a time of mounting confrontation between Islamists and the military-backed government.
The blasts further hike tensions a day before the third anniversary of Egypt’s 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak — when supporters of the military and their Islamist opponents have each vowed rival rallies in the streets to press their cause.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday’s morning attacks.
Ooooooh, STINK!
Islamic militants have increasingly targeted police and the military since the July 3 coup against Mohammed Morsi and the ensuing crackdown by security forces against his Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist supporters that has arrested thousands.
Authorities have branded the Brotherhood a terrorist group, accusing it of involvement in the militant violence. The Brotherhood has denied any link. But the branding has helped fuel a wave of popular sentiment against the group and in favor of the military.
Islamists are trying to use Saturday’s anniversary to build momentum in their campaign of protests to ‘‘break the coup.’’ Military supporters, in turn, aim to show broad popular support for the government and military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the man who ousted Morsi.
Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim, who is in charge of police, called the bombings a ‘‘vile terrorist act’’ aimed at spreading panic ahead of Saturday’s pro-military rallies. ‘‘But people will only increasingly insist ... and join the masses in millions’’ on Saturday, he told reporters at the site of the bombed police headquarters.
The office of interim President Adly Mansour vowed in a statement after the attack that it is determined to ‘‘uproot terrorism’’ and said it could be forced to take ‘‘exceptional measures.’’ It did not elaborate.
On its Twitter account, the Muslim Brotherhood posted a message in English condemning the ‘‘cowardly bombings in Cairo, express condolence to families of those killed and demand swift investigation.’’ There was no similar one in Arabic.
Friday’s violence began around 6:30 a.m. when a suicide car bomber blasted the capital’s main police headquarters in a downtown square, killing at least four people and sending billows of black smoke into the sky. The Health Ministry said in a statement that four policemen were killed and nearly 50 people wounded.
Several police officers sat on the sidewalk weeping outside the building as ambulances rushed in. A blanket covered a corpse on the ground that officers said was the suicide bomber.
The blast dug a large crater into the pavement, and the street was littered with vehicle parts, shattered glass, bricks and stones. The seven-story facade of the security headquarters was wrecked, with air conditioning units dangling from broken windows. A nearby courthouse and shops were also damaged.
‘‘Execution for Morsi and his leaders,’’ one man shouted through a megaphone as a crowd gathered around the wreckage chanting against the Brotherhood.
Ibrahim said the attack was carried out by two men in a pick-up truck. The vehicle stopped outside the building, one man got out, apparently when a policeman halted the truck, and then the other man detonated the blast, he said.
Egypt's Oklahoma City?
The explosion also heavily damaged the renowned Museum of Islamic Art, on the other side of Bab el-Khalq Square. Windows were blasted out all the way up the facade of the building, which was built in 1881 and recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation. The antiquities minister, Mohammed Ibrahim, said artifact inside were damaged, including a rare collection of Islamic art objects and that the museum will have to be rebuilt.
I can't believe any Muslim would do that.
About two hours later, another bomb struck a police car on patrol near a metro station in the capital’s Dokki district on the other side of the Nile River, killing one person and wounding eight others, security officials said.
At the site of the attack, a stain of blood on sidewalk was seen next to shattered glass after the blast broke windows of near building.
A third, smaller blast targeted the Talbiya police station about two miles from the famous Giza Pyramids but caused no casualties, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Ahmed Ghaith, a retired army officer who witnessed the blast, said he was waiting for a bus when the blast tore down an advertisement placard and dirt spread everywhere.
‘‘No one killed or injured, not even a cat. We know ... they will get nothing at the end,’’ referring to the Muslim Brotherhood group typical suspect despite its repeated denials.
The attacks came a day after the country’s military and security leaders marked Police Day depicting security forces as national heroes battling terrorism.
AmeriKa?
The most prominent attacks were a failed assassination attempt on the interior minister in Cairo in September and the December suicide car bombing that targeted a security headquarters in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, leaving nearly 16 dead, most of them policemen.
An Al Qaeda-inspired group called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or the Champions of Jerusalem, has claimed responsibility for most of the recent attacks, saying they aimed to avenge the killings of Morsi’s supporters in the months-long heavy security crackdown on protesters demanding his reinstatement and denouncing the coup.
Oh, inspired by Al-CIA-Duh, huh?
A Brotherhood-led coalition had planned protests after Friday prayers across the country as part of their near-daily demonstrations against Morsi’s overthrow and the recent vote on the country’s rewritten constitution.
--more--"
Related: [DAMN...nailed this one...[SEE: 2nd Egyptian Security Center Bombed North of Cairo]
Time for a swim in the Suez:
"Egypt hires firms for Suez project" by Maggie Michael | Associated Press August 20, 2014
CAIRO — Egypt selected a consortium of Egyptian and Persian Gulf companies Tuesday to develop the government’s project to transform the Suez Canal waterway into a hub of international investment and free-trade zones, officials said.
Egyptian authorities say the massive development plan is badly needed to help boost an economy that has been ravaged by three years of political turmoil. The Suez Canal is a key source of revenue for Egypt, bringing in around $5 billion annually.
The Canal Authority chief, Moheeb Mamish, said the Dar al-Handasah, a leading Mideast design, architecture, and engineering consultancy registered in Bahrain, was chosen from 14 candidates to develop the project. He did not give the price tag for the project.
The goal is to transform five ports at the northern and southern tips of the canal — Sukhna, Adiba, El Arish, and two facilities in Port Said — into attractive investment zones, he said.
‘‘Egypt is the belly button of the world,’’ Mamish said. ‘‘We have to make use of its geography.’’
Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab described the project as part of ‘‘rediscovering of Egypt’’ and making use of its hidden resources. He asserted that the project will create one million job opportunities and turn the region into a new Hong Kong.
What's wrong with the old Hong Ko.... oh, right.
--more--"
Related: Egypt convicts 26 over Suez Canal terror plot
Looks like this is the end, but don't miss our next post!
Are you sure it wasn't building itself?
"At least 5 dead in Cairo bombings" by Maggie Michael and Sarah El Deeb | Associated Press, January 24, 2014
CAIRO — A string of bombings hit police around Cairo on Friday, including a suicide car blast that ripped through the city’s main police headquarters and wrecked a nearby museum of Islamic artifacts. Five people were killed in the most significant attack yet in the Egyptian capital at a time of mounting confrontation between Islamists and the military-backed government.
The blasts further hike tensions a day before the third anniversary of Egypt’s 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak — when supporters of the military and their Islamist opponents have each vowed rival rallies in the streets to press their cause.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday’s morning attacks.
Ooooooh, STINK!
Islamic militants have increasingly targeted police and the military since the July 3 coup against Mohammed Morsi and the ensuing crackdown by security forces against his Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist supporters that has arrested thousands.
Authorities have branded the Brotherhood a terrorist group, accusing it of involvement in the militant violence. The Brotherhood has denied any link. But the branding has helped fuel a wave of popular sentiment against the group and in favor of the military.
Islamists are trying to use Saturday’s anniversary to build momentum in their campaign of protests to ‘‘break the coup.’’ Military supporters, in turn, aim to show broad popular support for the government and military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the man who ousted Morsi.
Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim, who is in charge of police, called the bombings a ‘‘vile terrorist act’’ aimed at spreading panic ahead of Saturday’s pro-military rallies. ‘‘But people will only increasingly insist ... and join the masses in millions’’ on Saturday, he told reporters at the site of the bombed police headquarters.
The office of interim President Adly Mansour vowed in a statement after the attack that it is determined to ‘‘uproot terrorism’’ and said it could be forced to take ‘‘exceptional measures.’’ It did not elaborate.
On its Twitter account, the Muslim Brotherhood posted a message in English condemning the ‘‘cowardly bombings in Cairo, express condolence to families of those killed and demand swift investigation.’’ There was no similar one in Arabic.
Friday’s violence began around 6:30 a.m. when a suicide car bomber blasted the capital’s main police headquarters in a downtown square, killing at least four people and sending billows of black smoke into the sky. The Health Ministry said in a statement that four policemen were killed and nearly 50 people wounded.
Several police officers sat on the sidewalk weeping outside the building as ambulances rushed in. A blanket covered a corpse on the ground that officers said was the suicide bomber.
The blast dug a large crater into the pavement, and the street was littered with vehicle parts, shattered glass, bricks and stones. The seven-story facade of the security headquarters was wrecked, with air conditioning units dangling from broken windows. A nearby courthouse and shops were also damaged.
‘‘Execution for Morsi and his leaders,’’ one man shouted through a megaphone as a crowd gathered around the wreckage chanting against the Brotherhood.
Ibrahim said the attack was carried out by two men in a pick-up truck. The vehicle stopped outside the building, one man got out, apparently when a policeman halted the truck, and then the other man detonated the blast, he said.
Egypt's Oklahoma City?
The explosion also heavily damaged the renowned Museum of Islamic Art, on the other side of Bab el-Khalq Square. Windows were blasted out all the way up the facade of the building, which was built in 1881 and recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation. The antiquities minister, Mohammed Ibrahim, said artifact inside were damaged, including a rare collection of Islamic art objects and that the museum will have to be rebuilt.
I can't believe any Muslim would do that.
About two hours later, another bomb struck a police car on patrol near a metro station in the capital’s Dokki district on the other side of the Nile River, killing one person and wounding eight others, security officials said.
At the site of the attack, a stain of blood on sidewalk was seen next to shattered glass after the blast broke windows of near building.
A third, smaller blast targeted the Talbiya police station about two miles from the famous Giza Pyramids but caused no casualties, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Ahmed Ghaith, a retired army officer who witnessed the blast, said he was waiting for a bus when the blast tore down an advertisement placard and dirt spread everywhere.
‘‘No one killed or injured, not even a cat. We know ... they will get nothing at the end,’’ referring to the Muslim Brotherhood group typical suspect despite its repeated denials.
The attacks came a day after the country’s military and security leaders marked Police Day depicting security forces as national heroes battling terrorism.
AmeriKa?
The most prominent attacks were a failed assassination attempt on the interior minister in Cairo in September and the December suicide car bombing that targeted a security headquarters in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, leaving nearly 16 dead, most of them policemen.
An Al Qaeda-inspired group called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, or the Champions of Jerusalem, has claimed responsibility for most of the recent attacks, saying they aimed to avenge the killings of Morsi’s supporters in the months-long heavy security crackdown on protesters demanding his reinstatement and denouncing the coup.
Oh, inspired by Al-CIA-Duh, huh?
A Brotherhood-led coalition had planned protests after Friday prayers across the country as part of their near-daily demonstrations against Morsi’s overthrow and the recent vote on the country’s rewritten constitution.
--more--"
Related: [DAMN...nailed this one...[SEE: 2nd Egyptian Security Center Bombed North of Cairo]
Time for a swim in the Suez:
"Egypt hires firms for Suez project" by Maggie Michael | Associated Press August 20, 2014
CAIRO — Egypt selected a consortium of Egyptian and Persian Gulf companies Tuesday to develop the government’s project to transform the Suez Canal waterway into a hub of international investment and free-trade zones, officials said.
Egyptian authorities say the massive development plan is badly needed to help boost an economy that has been ravaged by three years of political turmoil. The Suez Canal is a key source of revenue for Egypt, bringing in around $5 billion annually.
The Canal Authority chief, Moheeb Mamish, said the Dar al-Handasah, a leading Mideast design, architecture, and engineering consultancy registered in Bahrain, was chosen from 14 candidates to develop the project. He did not give the price tag for the project.
The goal is to transform five ports at the northern and southern tips of the canal — Sukhna, Adiba, El Arish, and two facilities in Port Said — into attractive investment zones, he said.
‘‘Egypt is the belly button of the world,’’ Mamish said. ‘‘We have to make use of its geography.’’
Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab described the project as part of ‘‘rediscovering of Egypt’’ and making use of its hidden resources. He asserted that the project will create one million job opportunities and turn the region into a new Hong Kong.
What's wrong with the old Hong Ko.... oh, right.
Related: Egypt convicts 26 over Suez Canal terror plot
Looks like this is the end, but don't miss our next post!
