- Local Name: حركة ثوار بني سويف
- Transliteration: Harakat Thawar Beni Suef
- Alternatives: N/a
- Status: 2012 – 2015 (Disbanded)
- Conflicts: Islamist Political Violence in Egypt
The Beni Suef Revolutionaries’ Movement [HTBS; Harakat Thawar Beni Suef] was a militant group affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood. It operated in and around the Beni Suef governorate in the years following the 2011 revolution in the country. The HTBS carried out dozens of attacks before it disbanded by the end of the summer of 2015.
Historical Overview
The HTBS grew out of an informal network of Beni Suef-based Muslim Brotherhood activists who had grown incensed over the intense opposition towards the movement. The entity first emerged in October 2012, when its members distributed a list of press outlets accused of hostility towards Islam on the internet.1 Following the July 2013 coup in which the army removed the Muslim Brotherhood from power, HTBS activists organized protests and confronted security forces in bouts of rioting.2 Local authorities eventually cracked down on the movement. On Dec. 31, 2013, one of its coordinators and several associates were arrested by police.3 On Jan. 14, 2014, cadres of the HTBS burnt a police armored vehicle in Beni Suef.4 Associates of the movement also began distributing police officers’ personal information on the internet.5 The administrators of the HTBS’ social media accounts were arrested on Jan. 25.6
Activists unsuccessfully tried to relaunch the HTBS in August 2014.7 To mark the anniversary of the army’s crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood protestors, the outfit set fire to a café owned by a well-known opponent of the movement in the city of Beni Suef.8 The HTBS undertook no further action.
The HTBS reemerged in late 2014.9 On Nov. 07, 2014 its militants hurled firebombs at a post office in Beni Suef.10 A week later, the group torched the home of a police officer.11 In January 2015, cadres of the HTBS sabotaged railroad tracks, burnt a train and torched the car of a policeman.12 In response to the group’s campaign of attacks, Egyptian security forces launched operations against the outfit in the village of Maimoun.13
In February 2015, the HTBS escalated its activities. It began using bombs and firearms. The group unleashed a campaign of attacks against the police that lasted well into the summer. On Feb. 21, it bombed a police housing complex in Beni Suef, injuring two officers.14 The next day, the HTBS bombed a judges club and two police stations.15 On Feb. 26, 2015, the group declared war on the Egyptian authorities and vowed continued violence against the police.16 Some of its cadres shot and injured a police officer two days later.17 On May 21, its cadres shot and killed a policeman traveling home from work on his motorcycle in the town of Baba.18 HTBS militants ambushed two police cars in the village of Taha Bisha in June 2015, killing an officer and injuring four of his colleagues.19 On Jul. 09, the group shot and killed another policeman outside his home in Beni Suef.20
In the meanwhile, the HTBS had branched out to the Fayoum. On Jul. 08, operatives of the group killed an alleged police informer in the governorate.21 HTBS militants caused considerable consternation when they killed the young daughter of a police chief and her friend during an ambush on the officer’s car in Fayoum.22
Security forces eventually tracked down many of the key members of the HTBS. On Aug. 07, police raided the house where senior members of the group had gathered for a meeting in Tawfiqiya, in the Fayoum governorate. One of the leaders of the outfit and four of his associates were eliminated in the operation.23 A few weeks later, the HTBS abruptly halted its activities. The group apparently disbanded and was never heard from again. This development coincided with a relative lull in Ikhwani militancy at the time. Over the next months, the authorities occasionally arrested former members of the HTBS.
Area of Operations
The HTBS was predominantly active in the governorate of Beni Suef. The outfit was initially based in the village of Maimoun, but eventually expanded its area of operations to the rest of the governorate.24 Most of the its attacks have taken place in the city of Beni Suef and the towns of Baba, Nasser and Wasta. The HTBS also carried out several attacks in neighboring Fayoum.25
Key Leadership
Little information was available on the leadership of the HTBS. In early 2014, the outfit was apparently led by Amr Omar.26 Ahmed Hasballah served as one of the group’s most senior operatives until he was killed by police.27 Another senior figure within the HTBS was Ahmed Rajai. Police arrested Rajai after he had hurt himself when a bomb exploded accidentally during manufacturing.28 Abdulsalam Hitayta was a senior coordinator of the group’s operations. Security forces eliminated him during a raid on his safehouse on Aug. 07, 2015.29
Modus Operandi
The HTBS was preoccupied with attacking local police forces. It regularly targeted officers who were directly involved in the clampdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters. The group also carried out attacks against police patrols, stations and housing facilities. HTBS militants also targeted railroad infrastructure. They occasionally firebombed trains or blocked railroad tracks with burning barricades.30
Public relations
The HTBS devoted attention to its public relations. It had a significant presence on social media. The group regularly claimed responsibility for its actions. The HTBS was also involved in offensive messaging. It regularly posted the names and addresses of security personnel or journalists on the internet.31 On one occasion, the group even promised a monetary reward to whoever killed a local news reporter.32 The HTBS furthermore spread misinformation to scare the security forces. In August 2015, operatives of the outfit falsely claimed to have abducted the son of a police officer and even published photos of a frightened young man.33
External Linkages
The HTBS was seen as an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood.34 It was intimately linked to other Ihkwani militant groups active at the time. The HTBS often claimed its attacks in the name of the Revolutionary Retribution Movement [HIT; Harakat al-Iqab al-Thawri].35 On Jan. 29, 2015, the outfit joined the Popular Resistance Movement [PRM; Harakat al-Muqawama al-Shabiya] and the HIT to form the Alliance of Revolutionary Movements umbrella organization.36
References