Egyptian Interior Minister General Habib Adli said Tuesday that 19 Arabs suspected of links to al-Qaeda werearrested last month in Egypt en route to Iraq. The suspects were planning to carry out terrorist attacks against various places of worship in Egypt ,he said.
In an interview with the Egyptian daily al-Ahram, Adli said that the terrorists were arrested before getting a chance to carry out the attacks. "This is a network of an organization that supports Jihad and that wishes to target Christians and jews," he said.
Copts protest against Egyptian authorities (Photo: Reuters)
According to the minister, al-Qaeda has set up extensions in the region – three branches in Iraq, the Maghreb and the Gaza Strip operating under the name The Army of Islam. "Activists receive funds from these stations as well as orders to carry out attacks, including in Egypt," Adli said.
"When the Alexandria attack occurred, I said these are outside hands that carried it out. In the past al-Qaeda has threatened to attack churches and we had information regarding the group's plans to target places of worship."
The minister provided details on the terrorist network exposed in Egypt and said it has ties to al-Qaeda in Iraq and includes 19 suicide bombers. According to Adli, one of the suspects involved in the Alexandria attack was in contact with this network directly.
On New Year's eve, a car exploded infront of a Coptic Christian church as worshippers emerged from a New Year's Mass in the Egyptian city of Alexandria.
Violent clashes between Copts and security forces
broke out following the attack as the government worked to boost security in churches in the country.
AP contributed to this report