Cairo, 19 Apr: Security agencies have foiled a terrorist organization that includes 22 members in the Al-Zawiyah al-Hamrah, Turah, Hilwan and Ma'adi districts (of the greater Cairo area) that calls itself the Al-Ta'ifah al-Mansurah (victorious sect). The group was studying plans to conduct a number of terrorist organizations against tourist targets and the natural gas pipeline along the ring road around greater Cairo.

The group is headed by Ahmad Muhammad Ali Jabr, known as Abu-Mus'ab, a student at the literature department of Banha University (north of Cairo) and born in 1979. He is aided by Ahmad Muhammad Basyiuni, dubbed Abu-Bakr al-Misri, a preacher, also born in 1979. Both of them followed a jihadist ideology that stems from salafist, takfiri thinking.

A statement by the ministry of interior, issued today, said that the information and documents about this secret organization have confirmed that the above mentioned persons prepared studies concerning the conducting of a number of terrorist operations against tourist targets and the natural gas pipeline that surrounds greater Cairo.

The secret group also planned on targeting some sensitive sites by booby trapping them, attacking some Muslim and Christian clerics as well as conducting some operations, that confirm with their ideology of removing evil, against what they called depraved youth in tourist areas.

The statement said that security agencies, through their monitoring of the leaders of this group, ascertained that they were collecting details about the use of basic materials for the manufacturing of explosive and poisonous materials using information on some websites.

The statement said that this group's leadership sought to buy a plot of land in the Al-Saf district (south west of Cairo) of the Giza governorate to use it as training grounds and prepare for its terrorist operations.

The group's leadership relied on the money from religious donations that are gathered in mosques, as well as some monthly memberships from some of them. The statement said that it has been confirmed that the movements of the group's leadership had recently focused on quickly recruiting elements from among religious youth after convincing them of their deviated jihadist ideas and adhering to strict security measures during their meetings, in addition to using aliases.

It has also been confirmed that the group's leadership has made contacts with foreign elements to use them in sending some elements to what they consider jihad sites abroad.

(Description of Source: Cairo MENA (Internet Version-WWW) in Arabic -- government news agency)