Ansar Beit al-Maqdes releases video threatening military, police

In a video uploaded on Monday night, the militant Ansar Beit al-Maqdes group shows footage of four soldiers killed at a checkpoint as well as the bombing of the military checkpoint in Farafra in the Western desert.

In the nine-and-half minute video, titled, “Oh, Soldier”, the voice of Sheikh Ibrahim al-Rabish is featured as he warns the Egyptian Armed Forces of militants’ attacks against them.

The video was uploaded by Abu Qattada al-Ansary’s YouTube channel, bearing the logo “exclusive from Rassd,” the portal known for its Islamist affiliation. Rabish’s name has been often associated with video releases by Ansar Beit al-Maqdes.

The video opens with a four-minute footage of citizens being beaten, arrested and tortured by police and military men, as well as a woman testifying about female inmates being raped by police.

Then Rabish speaks, addressing Egypt’s soldiers. “If you know your crimes, that’s a catastrophe. If you don’t know them, that’s a bigger catastrophe.”

“Your leaders are asking you to secure them and to obey their orders before obeying the orders of God. You have become a worshipper of your leaders and not of God,” he said, adding that no prayer is worth it when all these crimes are committed.

He reminds people of the countless mujihedeen being killed and imprisoned in Egypt, saying: “Why do people condemn the killing of soldiers because their families will be orphaned and parents saddened? Don’t the killed mujahideen have parents and families as well?”

“You have joined the ranks of the enemies of God, among the Crusaders,” Rabish said, saying that the mujahideen are going to kill any enemy of God, regardless of their color or race.

The video closes with footage of a masked militant shooting four men who are allegedly soldiers at a checkpoint as per the title on the footage. The men are shown lying on their faces on the ground seconds before they are shot at, as they plead with their killers. Then footage of the explosion of the military checkpoint in Farafra is shown, where 21 soldiers were killed.

“Damn you soldier, what can Sisi do without you?” is featured at the end of the video, referring to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. 

In his latest report from Sunday, Armed Forces Spokesperson Colonel Mohamed Samir said that recent operations against terrorists in North Sinai and the Delta have led to the killing of three terrorists and the arrest of 54 suspects. 

Ansar Beit al-Maqdes’ name started circulating in 2012 when the group claimed responsibility for the recurrent bombings of the pipeline supplying gas to Israel from Sinai. Shortly after, the group started concentering its attacks against targets from the security apparatus in Egypt. The group claimed responsibility over the failed attempt on Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim’s life, among others. 

Several news have circulated in May on the military’s arrest of Shady al-Menaei, a prominent leader within Ansar Beit al-Maqdes. However, Islamist websites published his images as he watched the news of his arrest.

On Sunday, more news circulated from the Turkish Anadolou news agency about the arrest of another senior member of Ansar Beit al-Maqdes, Karim Abu Rukba, as he entered Sinai through a tunnel from Gaza. Rukba’s arrest was not confirmed by the Egyptian government. 

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