Ansar Bait al-Maqdis (ABM; ar, أَنْصَارُ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِس, Anṣār Bayt al-Maqdis, lit=
Supporters
In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up.
Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. H ...
of the
Holy House
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or Reverence (emotion), reverence among believers. The property is often asc ...
), or Ansar Al-Quds (), was a
jihadist
Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...
,
extremist militant group based in
Egypt.
Ansar Bait al-Maqdis was linked to
al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
from 2011 to 2014. It operated in the
Sinai Peninsula, focused its efforts on Egypt and
the gas pipeline to
Jordan, with a handful attacks directed at Israel. In mid-2013, it began a campaign of attacks on Egyptian security forces, and in November 2014 the group pledged allegiance to the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
[ Most of the group became a branch of ISIL, renaming itself ISIL-Sinai Province.
]
Overview
ABM emerged from a number of indigenous Salafi jihadist groups in the Sinai Peninsula. Some of these groups had ties to Salafi jihadis in Gaza
Gaza may refer to:
Places Palestine
* Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea
** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip
** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Lebanon
* Ghazzeh, a village in ...
or leaders that had previously fought abroad, including with al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
.
ABM rose from the chaos in Sinai that began with the uprising in January 2011. Its operations increased in the wake of the 2013 Egyptian ''coup d'état'', shifting its main target from Israel to Egyptian security forces, declaring the Egyptian army and police apostates that can be killed.
ABM was believed to have been the main group behind militant activity in the Sinai. From September 2013 to late January 2014, ABM claimed responsibility for a rapid succession of mass scale attacks throughout Egypt, including the attempted assassination of the Egyptian interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim. ABM recruited Bedouins as well as other Egyptians and people of other nationalities. Ten leaders from the group were reported to have escaped from the Sinai to Gaza
Gaza may refer to:
Places Palestine
* Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea
** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip
** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Lebanon
* Ghazzeh, a village in ...
and Marsa Matrouh
Mersa Matruh ( ar, مرسى مطروح, translit=Marsā Maṭrūḥ, ), also transliterated as ''Marsa Matruh'', is a port in Egypt and the capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is located west of Alexandria and east of Sallum on the main highway ...
in late 2013.
During 2014, ABM sent emissaries to ISIL in Syria to seek financial support, weapons and tactical advice. On 10 November 2014, many members of ABM took an oath of allegiance
An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...
to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIL. Following this pledge, ISIL supporters within ABM formed an official branch of ISIL in the region, known as Wilayat Sinai, the Sinai Province of the Islamic State (or ISIL-SP).
Designation as a terrorist organization
ABM or ISIL-SP was designated a terrorist organization by Egypt, the UAE, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Attacks
Attacks claimed by or attributed to ABM include:
* bombing of the gas pipelines Egypt to Israel and Jordan multiple times.
* September 2012 southern Israel cross-border attack.
* September 2013 assassination attempt on the minister of interior Mohamed Ibrahim Moustafa.
* October 2013 attack on a military intelligence building in Ismailia.
* November 2013, assassination of Mohamed Mabrouk, a security officer involved in the trial against Mohamed Morsi, who was shot dead outside his home in Nasr City.
* 24 December 2013 bombing
A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanica ...
of a police compound in Mansoura, killing at least 16 people, including 14 police officers.
* 31 January 2014, a rocket was launched from the Sinai Peninsula aimed at Eilat
Eilat ( , ; he, אֵילַת ; ar, إِيلَات, Īlāt) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jordan ...
, Israel. The Iron Dome system intercepted the rocket.
* 20 January 2014 attack in Eilat. No damage or injuries were reported.
* 23 January 2014 attack on a police checkpoint in Beni Suef
Beni Suef ( ar, بني سويف, Baniswēf the capital city of the Beni Suef Governorate in Egypt. Beni Suef is the location of Beni Suef University. An important agricultural trade centre on the west bank of the Nile River, the city is located 11 ...
that killed 5 people.
* January 2014 Cairo bombings that took place in late January 2014, though it later indicated that the Soldiers of Egypt
Soldiers of Egypt or Ajnad Misr is a Salafist Islamist militant group that has been operating near Cairo, Egypt. The group was founded by Humam Muhammed in 2013, after he split away from the Ansar Bait al-Maqdis militant group. The group claims ...
group was behind one of the bombings.
* 25 January 2014 shooting down of a military helicopter in the Sinai.
* 28 January 2014 assassination of Mohamed Al-Saied (who was a member of Egypt's Interior Ministry
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
).
* 31 January 2014 attempted attack on Eilat. The rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome system.
* 16 February 2014 Taba bus bombing
The 2014 Taba bus bombing was a terrorist attack on a tourist coach in Taba, Egypt on 16 February 2014. The bus had been parked, waiting to cross into Israel at the Taba Border Crossing, when a lone suicide bomber entered the open bus and deto ...
that killed four people, including three Korean tourists and an Egyptian bus driver. The group warned all tourists to leave Egypt before 20 February 2014.
* 2 May 2014 attacks that killed 3 people in the Sinai.
* on 19 July 2014 Ansar Bait al-Maqdis ambushed Egyptian army soldiers, this event is knows as the 2014 Farafra ambush
* on 28 August 2014 ABM released a video showing the beheading of 4 Egyptians accused of being Mossad
Mossad ( , ), ; ar, الموساد, al-Mōsād, ; , short for ( he, המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים, links=no), meaning 'Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations'. is the national intelligence agency ...
spies and providing Israel with intelligence.
* late September 2014 killing of 6 security personnel.
*On 8 October 2014, a faction of ABM in the Gaza Strip, calling itself the ''Islamic State of Gaza'', launched a bomb attack on the French Cultural Center in the city of Gaza
Gaza may refer to:
Places Palestine
* Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea
** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip
** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Lebanon
* Ghazzeh, a village in ...
, only to issue a statement several hours later denying any responsibility for the attack.
*ABM released a graphic propaganda video claiming responsibility for the 24 October 2014 Sinai attacks that killed 28 soldiers northwest of the town of Arish
ʻArish or el-ʻArīsh ( ar, العريش ' , ''Hrinokorura'') is the capital and largest city (with 164,830 inhabitants ) of the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt, as well as the largest city on the entire Sinai Peninsula, lying on the Mediter ...
. The group is also responsible for a drive-by shooting several hours later at a checkpoint in Arish that killed three soldiers.
After November 2014, attacks by the group were claimed as those of ISIL-SP.
See also
* Sinai insurgency
* Timeline of the Sinai insurgency
The following is a chronological timeline of fatal incidents during the ongoing Sinai insurgency, which was invigorated by a period of relative instability and political turmoil in Egypt, beginning with the 2011 uprising against former autocrat ...
References
Global Terrorism Database: List over Ansar Bait al-Maqdis attacks: http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/Results.aspx?page=1&casualties_type=&casualties_max=&perpetrator=40074&count=100&charttype=line&chart=overtime&expanded=no&ob=GTDID&od=asc#results-table
{{Militant Islamism in the Middle East
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Sinai Peninsula