Egyptian Islamic Jihad
Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) is an Jihadist terrorist organization in Egypt.[1] The group was formed in 1979 in Cairo.[2] EIJ's primary motive is a violent overthrow of the Government of Egypt and to establish an Islamic state in Egypt.[3][4][5] EIJ has its network in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the United Kingdom.[2][4] The group has links with the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda and some fractions of EIJ merged with Al-Qaeda in 2001.[3]
EIJ was responsible for the assassination of the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981.[5][6][7] Terrorists from EIJ were linked to two unsuccessful bombings in the Israeli and the US embassies in Manila in 1994.[7] The group is suspected to be responsible for bombing at the embassy of Egypt in Islamabad in 1995,[6] in which fifteen people were killed,[7] and for a foiled terrorist attack on the US embassy in Albania in 1998.[5][6] Many suspected hijackers of the September 11, 2001 attacks had links with the EIJ.[6] Mohammed Atta, the prime suspect and the leader of the hijackers, was a member of the EIJ.[6]
According to the allegations made by the Government of Egypt, EIJ received financial support from Iran.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) United States Department of State
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Al-Jihad al-Islami James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Egyptian Islamic Jihad MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Egyptian Islamic Jihad Federation of American Scientists
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Egyptian Islamic Jihad Australian Government
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Egyptian Islamic Jihad BBC
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 In the spotlight: Al-Jihad (Egyptian Islamic Jihad) Center for Defense Information
