The Egyptian Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday, March 29, 2026, that security forces successfully dismantled a major terrorist cell and thwarted a series of high-profile attacks orchestrated by the Hasm movement, an armed wing of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
According to an official government statement, the operation led to the arrest of Ali Mahmoud Mohamed Abdelwanis, a senior operative who was under surveillance as part of a broader effort to disrupt plans aimed at undermining national infrastructure and state stability. Abdelwanis was already facing multiple life sentences handed down in absentia for prior terrorism-related convictions, including attacks on security personnel and sensitive government installations.
In a televised confession released by the Ministry, Abdelwanis detailed his radicalization during his time as an agriculture student at Al-Azhar University in 2012. He alleged that his superior, Yahya Moussa, directed him to enter the Gaza Strip via underground tunnels for advanced paramilitary training. During a four-month stay, he reportedly received instruction in open-terrain combat, sniping, and the use of anti-tank and anti-aircraft weaponry. The suspect admitted to involvement in several high-profile operations, including an assault on a checkpoint in Beheira, a targeted attack on the Tanta police station, and the assassination of Brigadier General Adel Ragaei. He also confessed to failed attempts targeting the former Minister of Petroleum and the Assistant Minister of Interior for the Tora Prison sector.
Perhaps most notably, Abdelwanis revealed instructions to receive training on SAM-7 man-portable surface-to-air missiles for a planned strike against the presidential aircraft. He noted that Yahya Moussa had been coordinating a large-scale operation requiring specialized precision-strike capabilities. Following his activities in Egypt, the suspect had reportedly been ordered to relocate to Somalia to continue operations from there. The Ministry of Interior stated that investigations confirmed the suspect’s involvement in numerous violent incidents in recent years, specifically IED attacks against police facilities and security checkpoints. This latest crackdown follows a series of preemptive strikes against Hasm cells throughout 2025, reinforcing the state’s ongoing campaign to dismantle the infrastructure of the Muslim Brotherhood’s militant affiliates.
AK/ac/Sf/lb/abj/APA