(AFP PHOTO / AHMED TARANH)
The Ministry of Interior released a statement Monday claiming the arrest of a “dangerous terrorist” involved in a Giza bombing that claimed the life of a civilian bystander.
Street vendor and suspect in the case Mohamed Ahmed Al-Taliawy, 35, has allegedly travelled to Syria and Libya to “engage in acts of terrorism and violence”, the statement said. A video of his alleged confession accompanied the post on the ministry’s official Facebook page.
Al-Taliawy is a prime suspect in the 24 January bombing of a Giza movie theatre, one of four bombs that rocked Cairo and Giza just a day before the third anniversary of the 25 January Revolution.
Among the charges levied against Al-Taliawy is a connection to the founder of Egyptian Islamic Jihad Mohamed Al-Zawahiri, brother of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri. The post itself, however, offered no evidence of this connection.
Al-Taliawy is said to have had explosives and weapons in his possession when arrested. The post mentioned three machine guns with 35 rounds of ammunition as well as a Turkish-made 12 gauge shotgun.
Al-Taliawy allegedly fled his Giza home sometime after the bombing, but was tracked down in Menufiya by Homeland Security. The street vendor was captured during a dawn raid by security personnel backed by special forces soldiers.
The interior ministry also posted a video of Al-Taliawy’s alleged confession to their YouTube page.
