The ministry of Interior said on Tuesday that it killed a militant belong to the armed group of Hasm in an exchange that took place in Fayoum.
A statement by the ministry said that the intelligence by the National Security Apparatus that the group is organising trainings for its cadres in a hideout in Fayoum.
The security forces ambushed a car, whose driver fired at the forces. The ministry hasn’t confirmed the identity of the deceased individual.
Another suspect has managed to escape the site of the exchange of fire.
The statement said that suspects possessed ammunitions magazine, amounts of foreign currency, and a handgun.
On 9 July, police forces identified two people it said police forces “eliminated” in a gunfire exchange in 6th of October City as members of the militant group. The ministry accused a 28-year-old and a 22-year-old of being “Muslim Brotherhood terrorists and planning terrorist attacks”, and that they were leading members of the militant group that is being tasked with conducting attacks “by their leaders outside the country.”
The Hasm movement is the alleged armed militant group affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) group.
Hasm has claimed responsibility for several recent attacks in statements circulated online. The movement has appeared in early 2016. In August, the group said it was behind the failed assassination attempt of former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa. In October of the same year, militants driving a black private vehicle opened fire on army leader, Adel Ragaai, assassinating him in front of his residence in Al-Obour City.
Egypt is currently battling several armed groups concentrated mainly in the Sinai Peninsula, since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
The rhetoric of the group drew the attention of the Dar Al-Ifta institution, the governmental entity responsible for issuing religious opinions.
The institution released a statement saying that the group is a proof that violence is part of the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology. A statement published by the Dar Al-Ifta’s terrorism observatory said that militancy is a strategy in the group’s very basic teachings, which were authored by its leaders like Hassan Al-Banna and Sayyed Al-Qutb.
The observatory cited some Brotherhood leaders praising the performance of the militant group.
The Egyptian state accuses the Muslim Brotherhood of hosting and training militant groups, through personnel, and financial support. The peak in targeting police and army personnel has taken place since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi. The Egyptian government argues that such attacks are an attempt to return the now banned Muslim Brotherhood to power. However, the group denies its affiliation to any militant group.
