Egypt said on Thursday it has identified the Muslim militant who drove an explosives-laden car against oncoming traffic in central Cairo. EPA
Egypt said on Thursday it has identified the Muslim militant who drove an explosives-laden car against oncoming traffic in central Cairo. EPA
Egypt said on Thursday it has identified the Muslim militant who drove an explosives-laden car against oncoming traffic in central Cairo. EPA
Egypt said on Thursday it has identified the Muslim militant who drove an explosives-laden car against oncoming traffic in central Cairo. EPA

Egypt says it has identified man behind hospital car bomb


Hamza Hendawi
  • English
  • Arabic

Egypt on Thursday said it identified the militant who drove an explosives-laden car into oncoming traffic in central Cairo last weekend before his cargo detonated, killing 20 people and wounding nearly 50.

The Interior Ministry also said security forces killed 17 militants associated with the driver in three shootouts in Cairo, and in the Fayoum province south-west of the capital.

The militants and the driver belonged to Hasm, a breakaway faction linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, the ministry said.

It identified the driver as Abdel Rahman Abdel Rahman, 24, a native of Fayoum who had been wanted by military prosecutors over a terrorist case involving Hasm. The ministry said he was identified through DNA testing.

The government released video footage that purports to show Abdel Rahman bidding farewell to his family outside a city park the day before the blast, suggesting that he had intended to stage a suicide attack.

Authorities initially said the blast, which occurred at 11.30pm on Sunday, was caused by a car colliding with three other vehicles as it moved against traffic in a one-way street.

But witnesses said the blast and a subsequent fire were so powerful that they could not have been caused by a collision.

Authorities changed the story on Monday, saying the car was  meant for use in a terror attack elsewhere, but did not say whether the driver detonated his cargo or it went off prematurely.

They said the car was stolen several months ago from a Nile Delta province.

Sunday's blast was the deadliest terror incident in Cairo since a suicide bomber struck at a Christian chapel in December 2016, killing 30 people.

That attack was claimed by ISIS, which is leading a years-long insurgency in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula.

Sunday's incident has raised questions about security in the capital, particularly on how a stolen car loaded with explosives could go unchallenged to the heart of a heavily policed city, complete with checkpoints and security cameras.

The ministry said on Thursday that security forces killed 15 of the 17 militants in a deserted building in the Fayoum desert and in an eastern suburb of Cairo.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi was the country's military chief when he led the removal in 2013 of Mohammed Morsi, a president from the Muslim Brotherhood, whose one year in office was divisive.

Morsi, who died in prison this year,  was ousted from office amid mass protests against his rule.

That was followed by a far-reaching, continuing crackdown aimed at dismantling the group.

Hasm has been blamed for terrorist attacks that began shortly after Morsi's removal.

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Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Golden Shoe top five (as of March 1):

Harry Kane, Tottenham, Premier League, 24 goals, 48 points
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Lionel Messi, Barcelona, La Liga, 22 goals, 44 points

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo

Transmission: CVT

Power: 170bhp

Torque: 220Nm

Price: Dh98,900

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright

Short-term let permits explained

Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.

Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.

There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.

Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.

The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA

Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600

Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder

Transmission Seven-speed automatic

Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km

Trippier bio

Date of birth September 19, 1990

Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom

Age 26

Height 1.74 metres

Nationality England

Position Right-back

Foot Right

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
  1. Steve Baker
  2. Peter Bone
  3. Ben Bradley
  4. Andrew Bridgen
  5. Maria Caulfield​​​​​​​
  6. Simon Clarke 
  7. Philip Davies
  8. Nadine Dorries​​​​​​​
  9. James Duddridge​​​​​​​
  10. Mark Francois 
  11. Chris Green
  12. Adam Holloway
  13. Andrea Jenkyns
  14. Anne-Marie Morris
  15. Sheryll Murray
  16. Jacob Rees-Mogg
  17. Laurence Robertson
  18. Lee Rowley
  19. Henry Smith
  20. Martin Vickers 
  21. John Whittingdale
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Company%20profile
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Family reunited

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.

She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.

She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.

The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.

She was held in her native country a year later.

The biog

Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents

Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University

As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families

Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too