Grand Mufti condemns Fayoum terrorist attack

CAIRO - 21 July 2017: Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawki Allam condemned the terrorist attack that took place Friday morning on a police vehicle on a ring road in Fayoum governorate, south of Cairo, killing a conscript and injured three others.

“This attack will not affect us; on contrary it will make us stronger and more determined to cooperate with police and army forces facing and countering terrorism,” Allam said in his statement.

He added that Islam is ‘completely innocent’ from any terrorist attacks, or any armed group threatens the civilians..

Earlier, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a police vehicle on a ring road in Fayoum governorate, south of Cairo, killing a soldier and injured three others.

‘Hasm’ terrorist group affiliated to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement released right after the incident that security forces were stepping up efforts to arrest attackers, who reportedly hid in a farmland near the highway.

Security officials announced later that two terrorists were killed after attempting to open fire at security forces while trying to capture them along Cairo’s desert road in Fayoum.
The terrorists killed were in possession of set of gunshots and a rifle, while one terrorist element managed to escape.

On July 15, two members of the ‘Hasm’ group were killed in a shootout with security forces in Giza and Ismailia governorates.