Exclusive: Giza terrorists infiltrated from neighboring country, Source

CAIRO - 22 October 2017: Interior Ministry sources revealed further details about the deadly attack at Egypt’s Western Desert on Friday, which led to the death of 16 officers and injury of 13 others, while they investigate the crime scene and comb the area searching for escaped terrorists.

The insider told Egypt Today that the terrorism elements were almost 100 persons, who opened fire on the Egyptian police once they approached their training camp at the Western Desert, upon information of the National Security of terrorists infiltrated from the war-torn country into Egyptian soil.

“Some of the Jihadists, who escaped the crime scene, were speaking non-Egyptian accent,” the source told Egypt Today, revealing that they took from Wahat (Oasis) at the Western Desert a training camp to launch their terrorist attacks against Egyptian security forces and churches across the nation. “They had Thuraya phones, in order to contact with their fugitive leaders in Doha and Istanbul,” the source added.

Security forces found large amounts of explosive materials and weapons, set to be used against security forces and Christians. Security sources said that the attacks were planned to target Faiyum and Giza security directorates, churches and some of state buildings, but security forces attacked them before separating into groups.

The source stated that the identity of the terrorists will be unveiled after completing the forensic examination of their bodies, besides the testimonies of the survivor policemen.

The Interior Ministry released a statement Saturday announcing that 16 security officers were killed during clashes with militants in Wahat at the Western Desert early on Saturday, which led to the killing of 15 militants.

The statement added that the Interior Ministry’s National Security Service received information about the location of dangerous militants taking shelter in the Western Desert’s kilo 135, and then a raid was ordered to be launched.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi held a meeting on Sunday with Minister of Defense Sedki Sobhi, Minister of Interior Magdy Abdel Ghaffar, Head of General Intelligence Khaled Fawzi, and a number of leaders and officials from the Ministries of Defense and Interior, in order to follow up on the efforts pursuing the terrorists who committed the incident; in addition to intensifying security and military measures to secure the country's borders from infiltration attempts.