Two Killed as Egypt’s Government Fails to Notice Militant Group’s Blatant Bombing Warning Online · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Warning by Islamist militants that they have planted bombs. Photo credit: ashraf1974108 (Twitter)
After two police officers were killed and several others wounded in two explosions near the presidential palace on June 30, many Twitter users were furious with Egypt's Ministry of Interior for failing to take action despite an advance warning posted online by the militant group Ajnad Misr hours in advance of the bombings.
According to netizens, the explosions in capital city Cairo's Heliopolis district, could have been avoided if the police were actually fighting terrorism and not focusing their attention on apprehending and jailing activists.
Ajnad Misr (Soldiers of Egypt) is a relatively new Cairo-based Islamic militant group that targets what they call “criminal elements” in the Egyptian government.
The group came to attention earlier this year when they claimed credit for an attack on security forces in January through an online statement. In April, the group said it was responsible for explosions at University of Cairo that killed a police chief and five others. According to Al Arabiya News, After the April university attack, they posted on their Facebook page, “We previously cancelled many of our operations because of the possibility that shrapnel could reach civilians.” The group also uses Twitter.
In the latest Ajnad Misr linked Cairo attack, the first explosion killed one police officer and injured three others. The second makeshift device exploded as the police tried to defuse it, killing the second officer.
Europe-based Twitter user Ashraf Fawzi exclaims [ar]:
دول كاتبينها بلون مختلف يا بهايم #محطة_الانفجار_السري #الاتحادية pic.twitter.com/CPkOYT5QeP
— أشرف فوزي (@ashraf1974108) June 30, 2014
They have even written it in a different colour you fools
Leading activist and Egyptian blogger Ahmed Al Ish, who has 77, 000 or 77 K Twitter followers adds:
بيان الداخلية بيقول جالهم بلاغ “صباح اليوم” بوجود عبوتين!! يعني ممكن الارهابيين بعد ما يأسوا من انتباههم للبيان ع النت، كلموهم في التليفون!!
— Ahmed Al-Ish (@AhmdAlish) June 30, 2014
The Ministry of Interior's statement says they got a report today about the presence of the bombs!! This means that the terrorists called them on the telephone after they got frustrated that that their warning on the Internet was not entertained
Ahmed Anwar, who has over 14.5 K Twitter followers and runs a popular YouTube channel with over 2 million views, jokes:
الإرهابيين هيعملو ايه أكتر من كده نزلو بيان قالو على اماكن القنابل قبل انفجارها ب 4 ايام هيعملو ايه تانى ؟ هينزلو يتصورو سيلفى معاها؟
— Anwar (@A7mdAnwar) June 30, 2014
What more can the terrorists do?
They issued a statement.
They mentioned where the bombs were placed
What else can they do? Go and take selfies with the bombs?
Fashion and personal style-tips blogger Rasha wonders:
عالهامش : خبراء متفجرات ايه اللي كل ما يحاولوا يفككوا قنبلة تنفجر فيهم دول ؟ هم بيدربوهم ويعلموهم فين ؟ ايه الهم ده بس يا ربي
— Rasha (@neversaydiee) June 30, 2014
What kind of bomb experts are those who blow themselves up everytime they try and diffuse a bomb? Where are they trained? What kind of misery do we live in?
Meanwhile, popular activist Nawara Negm who has over 683 K followers retorts [ar]:
عايزينه يراقب النت ويلفق قضايا ويجند اعلاميين ويقبض على ابرياء وكمان يتصدى للتفجيرات؟ حتاكلوا محمد ابراهيم يعني؟
— ايام زرقا (@nawaranegm) June 30, 2014
You want him to monitor the Internet, frame activists for crimes, pay off journalists, arrest innocent people and also counteract explosions?
Egyptian Blogger Tamer Mowafy who describes himself as a Libertarian Socialist on Twitter where he was 139K followers, shares a similar idea:
لكن العيال أصحابنا طبعا همه اللي خطر على الأمن القومي ولازم يترموا في السجون!!
— Tamer Mowafy (@kalimakhus) June 30, 2014
Of course our friends are the ones who are a danger to our national security and should be jailed …
Jeddah and Cairo based Menna Alaa, who has 59K followers and describes herself on Twitter as an “sarcastic aspiring journalist concludes:
This place doesn't need hope, it needs a miracle. #MENA
— Menna منّة (@TheMiinz) June 30, 2014
The attack coincides with the first anniversary of massive protests which led to the overthrow of President Muhammed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood candidate who reigned for a year after the ousting of long-term president Hosni Mubarak. Hundreds of policemen have been targeted by Islamist militants since the ousting of Morsi on July 3. This is in addition to more than 1,400 Egyptians killed and 16,000 detained since the military's crackdown on the Brotherhood.