AL-AZHAR BOMBER IDENTIFIED, CO-PLOTTERS ARRESTED:

UNCLAS CAIRO 002971 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC PGOV PTER KPAO EG SUBJECT: AL-AZHAR BOMBER IDENTIFIED, CO-PLOTTERS ARRESTED: EGYPTIAN MEDIA THEMES, APRIL 11 TO 17 ¶1. Summary: Egyptian Television (ETV) reported the identity of the Al-Azhar terrorist bomber on April 11. The following day, photos of the bomber's blast-damaged face appeared above the fold in all of Egypt's major newspapers, along with Interior Ministry claims that "jihadi" publications had been found in his home. On April 17, ETV reported the identities of four Egyptians suspected of planning the bombing. ETV talk show commentators April 16 and 17 focused on problems that might lead some youths to become suicide bombers. Egypt's first government-sponsored human rights report received only minor coverage. Print media continued to follow Muslim Brotherhood and Kifaya pro-reform protests. End summary. ¶2. Al-Azhar bomber identified: The suicide bomber who struck the Al-Azhar neighborhood on April 7 was identified by name on ETV on April 11 as Hassan Rafat Ahmed Bashandy, reportedly an engineering student, born in 1987, from Cairo's low-income Shoubra Al-Kheima neighborhood. Banner headlines and photos of his blast-damaged face appeared in all major Egyptian papers the following day. Also widely published were photos of his family's apartment and interviews with his neighbors. Some reports cited Interior Ministry claims that "jihadi" CD-ROMs and publications on bomb making had been found in his home. Practically all commentary condemned the bombing, but some opposition papers claimed "foreign involvement." For example, the lead headline in opposition Al-Wafd (circulation: 200,000) on April 14 read: "Foreign plotting and funding in the Al- Azhar attacks," with the subtitle: "Security experts point to signs of Mossad and American planning." In the afternoon of April 17, ETV reported a Ministry of Interior statement claiming that the bomber was linked to an extremist group composed of four other Egyptians, three of whom had been arrested. Several commentators appearing on ETV talk show programs on April 16 and 17 examined what influences might induce youths to become suicide bombers, e.g. poverty, despair, injustice, and images carried via the Internet. ¶3. Egyptian human rights report released: The government- sponsored Egyptian National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) released its first human rights report on April 11 to a limited audience. Dr. Ahmed Kamal Aboul Maged, NCHR Vice Chairman, appeared on ETV's program Al-Bayt Baytak ("Make Yourself at Home") on April 13 to explain the report and to restate NCHR's position against Egypt's Emergency Law. (Comment: Broader coverage is likely once the report is released to the general public. Currently, it is only available upon written request. End comment.) ¶4. Pro-reform demonstrations covered: The opposition press covered student demonstrations in favor of reform and the "liberation of Palestine and Iraq" at Assiut University on April 13. Pan-Arab press and Egyptian pro-reform websites continued to cover planned Kifaya demonstrations, scheduled nationwide for April 27, and ongoing pro-reform Muslim Brotherhood demonstrations. GRAY