Egypt arrested 200 terrorists, thwarted 76 attempted terrorist attacks in 2017

(MENA) – Egypt’s security outlook for the new year is optimistic in spite of the persisting regional chaos against the backdrop of the continuing instability and terrorist operations in neighboring countries.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry succeeded in dealing strong blows to terrorist elements and arrested 200 terrorists with foiling 76 terrorist attacks on churches and vital facilities in 2017.

Despite the emergence of different types of terrorist acts worldwide, a matter that made the task of security bodies very precise and difficult, the Egyptian Interior Ministry, particularly the National Security Sector, managed to overcome such serious challenges through an overall security strategy based on two main axes; preventative security, in other words aborting terrorist schemes and launching pre-emptive strikes against terrorists, and the swift arrest of terrorist elements.

MENA observed the most prominent terrorist incidents that took place in 2017 and genuine efforts by security bodies on this score. These efforts culminated in the arrest of 200 terrorists and the killing of 180 terrorist and takfiri elements.

Among these vicious attacks are twin suicide bombings that took place at St. George’s Church in the northern Egyptian city of Tanta and Saint Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria city on Palm Sunday, on April 9, 2017.

MENA also cited the arrest of perpetrators of the attacks and other terrorist elements that committed the Botroseya Church bombing that took place on December 11, 2016.

Security bodies in North Sinai managed to foil an armed attack by nearly 20 militants on a security checkpoint stationed near El Arish third police station on January 9, leaving five militants dead and three others injured. Seven police personnel were also killed and six others injured in the attack.

Ten members of Ansar Beit Al Maqdis implicated in terrorist attacks in El Arish city, in addition to prominent leader of the terrorist group; Hamdan Salman Salam Hussein were killed in security crackdowns in North Sinai.

Till the end of November 2017, Egypt managed to foil 332 terrorist attacks, compared to 807 attacks in 2016, thanks to Egyptian police and army personnel’s vigilance