In the days preceding the Economic Summit, set to start on 13 March, bombs have targeted mobile and telecommunications branches, electricity and gas supply units, and a large shopping centre.
This, experts say, aims to discourage potential investors, as it marks militants’ shift from their usual attacks on security personnel.
A bomb explosion near Alexandria’s City Centre on Sunday, which left one person dead and five more injured, was the most recent in a string of attacks over the past week.
In Mahalla on the same day, four bombs were found and dismantled, state media reported. Another bomb was found in Cairo’s Moqattam neighbourhood.
On 5 March, a Mahalla bomb attack killed three policemen and injured 14, including civilians. Six minor bomb explosions occurred around Cairo and Giza.
Military expert Sameh Abu Hashima identified a rise in explosions around Egypt, adding that these target the upcoming Economic Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Perpetrators of such attacks want to shift global opinion and to present Egypt as “unsafe” for investments, he said, referring to Egypt’s recent efforts to attract foreign investors and create a healthy business environment.
On 1 March, two civilians were killed and 11 others were injured in an explosion near an Aswan police station.
The day after, another two civilians were killed outside Cairo’s High Court, while 11 people were injured. A group named the “Revolutionary Punishment” later claimed responsibility for the attack, and stated on its Facebook page that it pursues an armed fight against the current regime.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Interior spokesperson Hany Abdel Latif told Daily News Egypt that he expects the attacks to increase after the High Court explosions.
On 3 March, two more bombs exploded in the neighbourhood of Matariya, damaging two branches of telecommunications company stores, but leaving no injuries.
According to Abu Hashima, militants are increasing these explosions as “the noose is tightened” on them by the regime. They are using all their power to “avenge” the current rulers, he said, adding that whoever is doing this is either “ideologically misled like Muslim Brotherhood members or paid thugs”.
While in many cases suspects in the attacks against police facilities and institutions are designated as Muslim Brotherhood members, the Brotherhood usually denies the accusations, asserting that the allegations serve “propaganda purposes”.
Abu Hashima said prospects will change and “networks of information” will be completed with the new Interior Minister’s appointment, Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar, the former head of the Ministry’s Intelligence Agency, on 5 March.
Abdel-Ghaffar “has experience and information about the suspects involved in the bombings”, Abu Hashima said.
Since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, a militant insurgency has been on the rise. Militant Islamists groups, such as Ajnad Misr and “State of Sinai” (formerly Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis), have claimed responsibility for frequent attacks on military and police targets.
Since the beginning of 2015, new groups have emerged, characterised by more small-scale bomb attacks or drive-by shootings, attacking a wider range of targets.
On 2 February a bomb was dismantled close to the Borg Al-Arab post office in Alexandria.
By mid-February, there had been nearly 12 bomb explosions on railway tracks; from Cairo to Alexandria, Cairo to Aswan, Cairo to Giza, and the Cairo-Tanta and Gharbeya tracks. The bombs resulted in damaged railways and delayed trips, but no injuries.
On 25 February, four bombs exploded in various Cairo neighbourhoods, in front of both police stations and Etisalat and Vodafone mobile shops, leaving one man killed and six more injured.
Meanwhile, four improvised explosive devices (IEDs) went off the same day in Sharqeya, causing an electricity pylon to fall, leading to a power outage in the village of Al-Ghafareya.
Security expert Khalid Okasha previously told Daily News Egypt that these targets point to an “escalation wave” as the Economic Summit is approaching.
Militants have now shifted their targets to public facilities and commercial areas, while they had previously only tended towards targeting security personnel and facilities, Okasha said.
Another military expert, General Mahmoud Zaher, stated that he believes militant activity is not increasing, but that militant groups are trying to put themselves back in the spotlight as the Economic Summit, the parliamentary elections, and the Arab League Summit are all due to take place.
Zaher added that “when we discuss bombs and their implications, we have to refer to the number of victims involved; currently they are far less than before”.
The phenomenon is generally “worrying” for the public, he said, though it is not increasing.
Investors won’t be affected by the bombs, as the government has been issuing laws and decisions to protect investors, Zaher said, as he referred to the newly appointed Interior Minister Abdel Ghaffar.
