Egypt: Hasm militants kill at least 30 policemen in Giza province Oct. 20 /update 1

Event

Suspected Hasm movement militants killed at least 30 police officers and wounded eight more in a complex ambush in the Al-Wahat Al-Bahriya area (Giza province), roughly 135 km (84 mi) southwest of Cairo in Egypt's Western desert, on Friday, October 20. The militants ambushed the police forces - who were en route to raid a suspected Hasm militant hideout - with explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenades, and gunfire. The Hasm movement claimed responsibility for the attack later Friday. According to Egyptian security forces, the reported death toll from the ambush is expected to rise in the coming days; a heightened security presence is also expected in the area in the coming days as security forces continue to search for suspected militants.

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. Northeastern Sinai, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip, has been particularly volatile. Egypt has been under a nationwide state of emergency since April 2017, when IS militants carried out attacks on two churches in Tanta and Alexandria, leaving roughly 50 people dead.

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 (e.g. 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.