The Egyptian militant Islamist group Hasm has claimed responsibility for a small explosion that hit Myanmar’s embassy in Cairo on Saturday. The group said the attack was in response to Myanmar’s military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims.
The explosion was initially attributed to a faulty gas pipeline by neighbors and local media, but two security sources told Reuters that explosive material was found at the scene. Egypt’s interior ministry has not commented on the apparent attack.
“This bombing serves as a warning to the embassy of murderers, killers of women and children in the Muslim Rakhine State, and in solidarity with the sons of this weakened Muslim population,” Hasm said in its statement, released yesterday.
Since the group emerged last year, Hasm has claimed attacks on Egyptian law enforcement officials and moderate Muslim clerics. Civilians have also been injured by some of these attacks.
“[We have used] utmost caution to ensure that there were no civilian casualties or innocent people [hurt] during the operation, or else you would have seen a burning hell you could not have stopped,” Hasm said in the statement.
The attack prompted Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay to reach out to Myanmar nationals abroad. He wrote on Twitter yesterday: “Pls take care Myanmar Nationals around the world!”
Following a series of attacks on police outposts by the insurgent group ARSA on August 25, Myanmar military operations have driven over 500,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh, prompting accusations of ethnic cleansing from the UN and foreign governments.
Hasm claims to operate independently in its revolutionary insurgency against the Egyptian government. Egypt, however, claims the group is a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which the country outlawed in 2013, shortly after the ousting of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
