Egyptian Islamic Jihad
Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) is an Islamic terrorist organization in Egypt.[1] The group was formed in the late 1970s.[2] EIJ's primary motive is a violent overthrow of the Government of Egypt and to establish an Islamic state in Egypt.[2][3] EIJ has its network in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon and the United Kingdom.[3] The group has links with the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda and some fractions of EIJ merged with al-Qaeda in 2001.[2]
The group was responsible for the assassination of the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981.[4][5] Terrorists from EIJ were linked to two unsuccessful bombings in the Israeli and US embassies in Manila in 1994.[5] The group is suspected to be responsible for bombing at the embassy of Egypt in Islamabad in 1995, in which fifteen people were killed,[5] and for a foiled terrorist attack on the US embassy in Albania in 1998.[4] Many suspected hijackers of the September 11, 2001 attacks had links with EIJ.[4] Mohammed Atta, the prime suspect and the leader of the hijackers, was a member of EIJ.[4]
According to the allegations made by the Government of Egypt, EIJ received financial support from Iran.[3]
References
- ↑ Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) United States Department of State
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Egyptian Islamic Jihad MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Egyptian Islamic Jihad Federation of American Scientists
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Egyptian Islamic Jihad BBC
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 In the spotlight: Al-Jihad (Egyptian Islamic Jihad) Center for Defense Information
