The Islamic State militia is no threat to Egypt, prominent journalist and political commentator Mohamed Hassanein Heikal has said, though the militia’s Sinai affiliate has claimed responsibility for several bloody attacks against Egyptian security since 2013.
"No threat for Egypt from IS, the organization is not living in Egypt,” Heikal, a former adviser to late Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat, told Lebanese Assafir newspaper in an interview published Tuesday.
“Egypt is of a different nature. There are, instead, parallel, dangerous, terrorist organizations,” said Heikal, who noted that, unlike the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State is not acceptable in Egypt.
“Hassan al-Banna? Possible. But Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? No one would accept him,” Heikal stated, referring to the founders of the Brotherhood and IS, respectively.
His remarks comes two weeks after an IS affiliate, the Sinai province, claimed responsibility for attacks against army forces in North Sinai that left 17 troops dead, according to the official army count.
