Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

458 • MUNAZZAMAT AL JIHADcaptain, and one lieutenant, were arrested for setting up antigovernmentcombat training centers. In late February 1977 more than 17,000conscripts of the Central Security Police rioted in five provinces aswell as Cairo, inflicting $500 million in damages on bars, nightclubs,and luxury hotels—all of which had been targeted by fundamentalistradicals—and looting police arsenals of their weapons.Following the imprisonment of EIJ leader Abbud al Zumar, a Jihadfaction called Tala’a al-Fatah (Vanguard of Victory) led by al Zawahiri,who later in 1998 became the second-ranking member of alQa’eda in Afghanistan, appeared and claimed responsibility for the18 August 1993 bombing attack that injured Interior Minister Hassanal Alfi and the 25 November 1993 bombing assassination attemptagainst Prime Minister Atef Sedky, who escaped injury although onebystander was killed and 18 others injured. The EIJ and the IslamicGroup (IG) attempted an assassination of Egyptian President HosniMubarak on 26 June 1995 when he visited Ethiopia; five EIJ memberswere killed while three others escaped to Sudan, from where theaction had been planned and staged. Under Egyptian pressure, thegovernment of Sudan expelled the EIJ group, numbering then about300, which then moved to Afghanistan.The EIJ differed from the IG insofar as it targeted mainly highlevelEgyptian officials instead of police officers, Coptic Christians,and tourists, and also by its extensive use of car bombs. Al Zawahirico-signed the February 1998 fatwa sponsored by Osama bin Ladenauthorizing attacks on U.S. citizens worldwide. Al Zawahiri’s groupwas particularly incensed at joint U.S.-Egyptian efforts to identifyand expel their followers in Great Britain, Italy, South Africa, Albania,and Azerbaijan.Following the Luxor Temple massacre on 17 November 1997,both Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman and Abbud al Zumar issued an appealto their EIJ followers and members of the IG to cease violence andto work to form a “peaceful front” to confront the Egyptian government.Since 1998 al Zawahiri and those of his followers who movedwith him to Afghanistan effectively merged their group into al Qa’eda.Following 1998 the influence and activities of the EIJ within Egypthave declined due to the revulsion of Egyptian public opinion againstthe Luxor Temple incident. Since June 2001 the overseas membersof the EIJ have effectively merged with al Qa’eda, and they are notknown to have conducted any operations in Egypt since 1993.