EGYPT: ALLEGED PLANS TO ATTACK IBN KHALDOUN CENTER

UNCLAS CAIRO 002998 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC PTER PGOV PREL EG SUBJECT: EGYPT: ALLEGED PLANS TO ATTACK IBN KHALDOUN CENTER THWARTED ¶1. (SBU) Independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm published a front-page, above the fold article on October 9 stating that GoE security services had arrested 62 members of a group affiliated with terrorist organization Takfir wa al-Higra, and accused them plotting to blow up the Ibn Khaldoun Center (IKC),headed by democracy activist Saad Eddin Ibrahim. According to press reports, the group planned to use a car bomb, and had targeted the IKC because of its links to "foreign elements," including the United States. The reports also claimed that the group had been influenced by "extremists abroad," and that some of the accused had been planning to go to Iraq for jihad, and some had tried to travel to Syria a few days before, but had been prevented from doing so by Syrian authorities. ¶2. (SBU) IKC staff did not respond to our October 9 inquiries regarding the allegations. We will follow up and will report more details as we learn them. RICCIARDONE