CAIRO ACCUSES HAMAS OF TRAINING EGYPTIAN MILITANTS

Cairo, 8 Julqai’dah 1434/14 September 2013 (MINA) – Egyptian state television accused Palestinian Hamas on Thursday of training Egyptian Islamists in how to carry out bombings, putting more pressure on the Muslim Brotherhood, ally of Hamas.

“Security authorities have learned that the military wing of the Hamas movement trained several people to undertake car-bombing operations and trained various others to make explosives,” said a presenter on state television, Egypt Independent reported as monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

In neighboring Gaza, the ruling Hamas Islamists strongly denied the allegations.

Fawzi Barhoum, spokesman for the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, said of the report, “This is completely incorrect”. It was an “attempt to demonize Hamas”, he added.

Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been on the defensive since Mursi was ousted from the presidency following mass protests. He had alienated millions of Egyptians by giving himself sweeping powers and mismanaging the economy.

The main state paper, al-Ahram, cited high-ranking security sources as saying Hamas was also involved in the failed assassination attempt against the interior minister earlier this month. It did not elaborate or name the sources.

The army-backed government in Egypt has tightened control of crossings from the Sinai peninsula into Gaza, which Egypt ruled from 1948 to 1967, and continued assaults on militants in Sinai.

A protest staged by Hamas supporters calling for the release of Hamas members detained at western bank, Khan Youness, Gaza Strip, December 24, 2010.

Egypt’s closure of cross-border smuggling tunnels used to move weapons and goods into the Gaza Strip has dealt a major blow to the Palestinian group.

Hamas has recently tried to lower tension with Egypt, ordering Muslim preachers to mute their criticism of Cairo.

Gaza preachers, in fiery sermons, have accused Egypt’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, of waging war on Islam. Egyptian army officials have accused Hamas of interfering in Egyptian affairs and suggested Palestinians were helping Islamist militants in Sinai, which borders Gaza and Israel.

At Gaza street rallies, Hamas fighters have flashed a four-finger salute – a show of support for Mursi.

His ousting was seen as a setback for Hamas, and came as the group’s ties with traditional allies Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah party have also suffered over its siding with rebels battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Security sources said the former chief of staff under Mursi, Mohamed Rifaa el-Tahtawy, was detained on Thursday on charges of espionage. He had been detained in August over accusations of inciting the detention, torture and interrogation of protesters in 2012, but was released on Tuesday. (T/P03/E1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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