How a terrorist attack hurts the cause of Egypt's Islamists

An assassination attempt on the interior minister plays straight into the military regime's hands

Assassination attempt, Cairo
(Image credit: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

This week saw the return of terrorist tactics in Egypt, which has been largely free of such attacks since the 1990s. But the military regime is hardly shaking in its boots.

On Thursday, a powerful bomb blasted through the convoy of Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim in Cairo's Nasr City, killing one police officer and maiming at least 21 people, including a child who lost a leg. But Ibrahim, the official responsible for security and policing, emerged from his damaged, heavily armed car unharmed. In fact, he sounded a virtually triumphant note.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us

Susan Caskie is The Week's international editor and was a member of the team that launched The Week's U.S. print edition. She has worked for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Transitions magazine, and UN Wire, and reads a bunch of languages.