2009 Hezbollah plot in Egypt
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Hezbollah plot in Egypt involves the arrest of 49 men by Egyptian authorities in the five months preceding April 2009. Egypt accuses them of being Hezbollah agents planning attacks against Israel
i and Egyptian targets in the Sinai Peninsula
. The arrests have led to tensions between the Egyptian government and Hezbollah as well as Egypt and Iran.
Tension had been high since Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah
had accused Egypt of being a partner to the killing of Palestinians there, saying if it did not open the Rafah crossing it would be considered a "partner in the killing of Palestinians by the IDF."
The plot prompted Egypt to officially designate Hezbollah a "terrorist group".
, a cell was set up to monitor ship activity in the Suez Canal
. The cell was to buy a boat as well as set up a fish shop in order to do this.
Reports said the men had planned three major bomb attacks in Taba
, popular with Israeli tourists, using explosive belts and car bombs.
issued a strong statement denouncing the Lebanese group and its supporters. "They [Hezbollah and Iran] aspire to impose their influence on our Arab world by introducing hostile elements into the region, in efforts to threaten Egypt's national security," Mubarak said. He added, "[W]e will uncover their plot; beware of Egypt's wrath." In addition, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram
claimed that Iran, Syria
, and Qatar
were working to overthrow the Egyptian government.
. The group said the terror plot claims were "fabricated" to "sully Hezbollah’s image" and that the allegations were retaliation for Hezbollah’s comments during Operation Cast Lead.
ese official claimed rebel groups had collaborated with Hezbollah in smuggling weapons to Egypt. He condemned “any sabotage to a country’s sovereignty under any circumstances”.
.
prison north of Cairo. Some later appeared back in Beirut.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i and Egyptian targets in the Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
. The arrests have led to tensions between the Egyptian government and Hezbollah as well as Egypt and Iran.
Tension had been high since Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah
Hassan Nasrallah
Hasan Nasrallah, became the third Secretary General of the Lebanese political and paramilitary organization Hezbollah after Israel assassinated the previous leader, Abbas al-Musawi, in 1992. Hezbollah in its entirety is considered a terrorist organization by The United States, the Netherlands,...
had accused Egypt of being a partner to the killing of Palestinians there, saying if it did not open the Rafah crossing it would be considered a "partner in the killing of Palestinians by the IDF."
The plot prompted Egypt to officially designate Hezbollah a "terrorist group".
Activities
In Port SaidPort Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
, a cell was set up to monitor ship activity in the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
. The cell was to buy a boat as well as set up a fish shop in order to do this.
Reports said the men had planned three major bomb attacks in Taba
Taba
- Places :Egypt:* Taba, Egypt, a town in Egypt near the Gulf of Aqaba.** Taba Border Crossing, a border crossing between Taba in Egypt and Eilat in Israel...
, popular with Israeli tourists, using explosive belts and car bombs.
Egyptian
Egypt's reaction was hostile. President Hosni MubarakHosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
issued a strong statement denouncing the Lebanese group and its supporters. "They [Hezbollah and Iran] aspire to impose their influence on our Arab world by introducing hostile elements into the region, in efforts to threaten Egypt's national security," Mubarak said. He added, "[W]e will uncover their plot; beware of Egypt's wrath." In addition, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram
Al-Ahram
Al-Ahram , founded in 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya . It is majority owned by the Egyptian government....
claimed that Iran, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, and Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
were working to overthrow the Egyptian government.
Hezbollah
Hezbollah said one of the men was indeed one of their operatives, but that he had been trying to smuggle weapons into Gaza for HamasHamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
. The group said the terror plot claims were "fabricated" to "sully Hezbollah’s image" and that the allegations were retaliation for Hezbollah’s comments during Operation Cast Lead.
Sudan
A SudanSudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese official claimed rebel groups had collaborated with Hezbollah in smuggling weapons to Egypt. He condemned “any sabotage to a country’s sovereignty under any circumstances”.
Convictions
On April 28, 2010, 26 men were convicted of planning the attacks and given sentences from six months to life. Four men were convincted in absentiaIn absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
.
Escape
In the midst of the 2011 Egyptian protests, the cell's ringleader and 21 other Hezbollah suspects escaped from the Wadi El NatrunWadi El Natrun
Wadi El Natrun is a valley located in Beheira Governorate, Egypt, including a town with the same name. The name refers to the presence of eight different lakes in the region that produce natron salt. In Christian literature, the region is also referred to as the Nitrian Desert...
prison north of Cairo. Some later appeared back in Beirut.
External links
- Hezbollah in Egypt: The Politics of Conspiracy and Resistance - The Jamestown Foundation
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7996665.stm
- http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/16/content_11196213.htm
- http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1080643.html