A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Friday, July 10, 2009

Al-Qa‘ida in Egypt Plot?

Today's news starts a little Egypt-heavy but the Egyptian government is claiming it has busted an Al-Qa‘ida plot to attack foreign ships in the Suez Canal. Another account here. The Egyptian accounts tangentially suggest Palestinian involvement; the Israeli press headlines it, though 24 of the 26 arrested are said to be Egyptians.

This one deserves a certain amount of skeptical caution, I think, until the evidence is made public, but it's not intrinsically improbable. The Canal is easily accessible since it runs past three major Egyptian cities. Ships of all nations (including Israeli warships) transit the Canal constantly.

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