Militant group “Lewaa Al-Thawra” claimed responsibility for the Tanta bombing, which took place on Saturday near a security forces training camp. The attack killed one lower ranking police officer, who died late Saturday after sustaining heavy injuries, according to the Ministry of Interior. 12 other police officers were wounded, while two civilians were also injured. The civilians were passing by near the explosion as they were riding a microbus. All of the victims were hospitalised.
The ministry added that five of the injured individuals are in critical condition. Preliminary investigations revealed that the bomb was attached to a motorbike parked outside the police camp.
The militant group posted a statement under the title of “ambushes for the traitors,” announcing their responsibility for the attacks. “The fighters have returned,” the statement added, while saying that the attack is an act of revenge against the alleged extrajudicial killing of four men last month. They were attacked and killed during “a meeting in Giza governorate, where they planned to carry out terrorist attacks,” the ministry said at the time.
The group also said that the attack avenged violations against civilians, as well as violations committed against prisoners. The statement specified violations of male prisoners in Tanta Prison.
The group vowed to carry out more attacks against police forces.
Following the rise of the “Sinai Province” militant group in 2013 and its declaration of affiliation to the Islamic State (IS) the following year, militant operations against army and police forces were somewhat restricted to the regions of the Sinai Peninsula. However, in 2016 two militant groups adopting different notions than those of IS started to target police and army figures in Cairo. The two groups were Lewaa Al-Thawra and Hasm.
Though both groups have not declared a clear affiliation, they are suspected to be the militant arm of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, because of the reasons stated to justify their operations.
