Egypt: Shootout in Cairo Oct. 2, attack on Myanmar Embassy Sep. 30

Event

On Monday, October 2, three suspected militants reported to be members of the Hasm group were killed in a shootout with police in the 15th of May (Helwan city) suburb, located south of the capital Cairo. According to the Egyptian Interior Ministry, gunfire was exchanged as police attempted to arrest the suspects in question at a cemetery currently under construction. Rifles and ammunition were seized.

Additionally, Hasm has claimed responsibility for the September 30 bombing attack at the Myanmar Embassy in Cairo, claiming it was in retaliation for the ongoing military crackdown against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's Rakhine state. Initial media reports had claimed the blast was the result of a faulty pipeline but later traces of explosives were discovered at the scene. No causalities were reported.

Context

The Hasm movement is a Muslim Brotherhood-linked Islamist group which regularly targets Egyptian security forces and public officials in bombings and drive-by shootings. Egypt is also struggling to combat an insurgency by the Islamic State's local branch, Islamic State Sinai Province (IS-SP), in the restive Sinai Peninsula, where hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed since 2013.

The persecution of the Rohingya people in Myanmar has drawn international criticism for alleged human rights violations, including what the UN has denounced as "ethnic cleansing." The current clashes and ensuing government crackdown are the result of months of simmering violence and ethnic tensions between the Buddhist majority and Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar. Over 400,000 Rohingya Muslims are believed to have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh since August 25.

Advice

Due to the prevailing threat of terrorism, individuals throughout Egypt should report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and always be on guard when visiting sites deemed particularly vulnerable to an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.). Some governments advise their nationals against all travel to northern Sinai, where the authorities maintain a media blackout and special security zones due to the persistent terrorist threat.