“Manshiyya incident” .. The collapse of the Brotherhood’s dream under Nasser’s feet

Doaa Imam

For over 64 years, members of the Muslim Brotherhood are not tired of promoting that they didn’t attempt to assassinate the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, in what is known as the “Manshiyya incident” on October 26, 1954. They are claiming that everything happened was a “play” directed by Nasser to Increase his popularity. Sometimes they also say that three members belonging to the Brotherhood, carried out the attack without an order from the Supreme Guide.

Contradictory narratives are transmitted by generation after generation about the incident, but the fact is that the cell that planned the assassination, led by Hindawi Dweir, belongs to the Brotherhood.

When Dweir learned about his colleagues’ failure to assassinate of the president, he went to the security forces and gave informations about Mahmoud Abdullatif, a member of the organization who shot Nasser with Khalifa Attwa. The two men, who tried to hide their identity, were arrested. They, then, learned that Dweir reported on them and they said: “They tempted us and made us believe that Islam allowed Nasser’s blood”.

Ali Ashmawi (one of the leaders of the private regime who later defected from the Brotherhood) refuted the group’s lies about the Manshiyeh incident. He confirmed that the brotherhood coming from the provinces were responsible for controlling the police and radio stations, and they cut off roads of entering Cairo from Ismailia.

Ashmawi admitted in his memoirs “The Secret History of the Muslim Brotherhood”, that he was part of a special battalion, which was ordered to launch a clash with the State.

In one of the prison cells, three men belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, who were arrested after being involved in the Manshiyya incident, met. While everyone was discussing the fate of the group, Muhammad Abdul Fattah Rizk, a Muslim Brotherhood member in his forties, looked at Sheikh Abdel Fattah Ismail, who did not complete his thirtieth year, and with them Awad Abdel-Muttal, 19-year-old student Azhari, and thought of retaliation against “Nasser.”
The desire to take revenge controlled the three who believed that it is the impossible to continue the organization of the Brotherhood without the private organization. They agreed on the need to revive this organization again, and thought of two goals; the first is the reunion of the Brotherhood again away from the leadership, the second is the assassination of the «President» and other personalities and also to carry out operations on vital buildings, including the radio and television building. They were also joined by about 50 brothers.

The group had planned – even after the failure of the Manshiyya attempt – to get rid of Abdel Nasser but had no conception of implementation, so they had to wait for their leader, Sayyed Qutb (1906-1966). Indeed, Qutb came out of prison in 1964 with a health pardon before completing the term. They made his book, which he wrote in prison  entitled (milestones on the road), a constitution for their organization. They also took «Qutb» as leader of the organization, which was aimed at the assassination of «Nasser» and bringing the group to power as a successor.

Qutb’s books were the major reason that took attention of people and made them follow-up on his movements. The Egyptian intelligence found that Qutb had revived the secret organization and was planning to assassinate the president and a number of personalities in the country in cooperation with foreign countries that provided the organization with money and weapons. So, it arrested all members of the organization.

In late 1965, Qutb’s dreams, in the leadership of Jihad and the coming to power after the Nasser’s assassination plan, had ended.