A total of nine terrorist elements were killed in a fire exchange with security forces during a police raid at two hideouts in Obour city in Qalubiya, and 15 May city eastern Helwan, according to a statement by the Ministry of Interior on Wednesday.

Security forces arrested a leading member of Lewaa al-Thawra terrorist movement called Mahmoud Ghareeb Qasim, who was using the fictitious name “Khalaf el-Dahshury,” read the statement.

Ghareeb is involved in the killing of the brigadier general Adel Ragaey, and targeting a police ambush in El-Agaizy area in Menofia governorate. In October 2016, a Facebook account named Media of the Resistance posted a video, attributed to Lewaa al-Thawra, showing scenes from the assassination of Brigadier General Adel Ragaei. The senior military official was killed on October 22 when he was shot by armed assailants outside his home in Obour City.

Brigadier General Adel Ragaei

The raid resulted in seizing six automatic weapons, two cartidges, amounts of RSALT and Nitrate substances, a number of electricity circuits, explosive device and two bomb shells.

Legal procedures were taken, and investigations kicked off into the incident.

Formation and Ideology

Lewaa al-Thawra is a suborganization that has emerged two years ago in Egypt and, specifically in the Nile Delta, and claimed its responsibility for a number of terrorist operations targeting mainly police personnel. Egyptian security authorities said that Lewaa al-Thawra and similar small terror groups in Egypt are basically affiliating to the Muslim Brotherhood that was removed from power in the wake of the June 30 Revolution in 2013.

Lewaa al-Thawra adopts the strategy of Lone Wolves – militants acting alone or in small groups to attack specific targets – in which they form tiny groups to carry out various terrorist operations without supervision or reference to the parent movement, provided that the members of these groups have not involved in a terrorist act before. They conduct their operations using different types of weapons, such as machine guns, pistols, knives or remote detonation, and the targets are determined by higher leaders.

The group announced its formation on August 21, 2016, when it uploaded pictures and a dramatized video of an attack on a security checkpoint in Menofiya that left two policemen dead.

While there are indications of ties between Lewaa al-Thawra and elements of the Muslim Brotherhood, the extent of these links are unclear. Lewaa al-Thawra eulogized the death of senior Brotherhood figure Mohamad Kamal, who was killed in November 2016 during a security campaign in Qalyubia.

The assassination was the second operation for which Lewaa al-Tharwa has claimed responsibility. The group first garnered attention in August 2016 when they attacked a police checkpoint in Menofiya, killing two policemen and wounding five others, including two civilians.

On January 31, 2018, the United States announced listing Hasm and Lewaa al-Thawra on the Specially Designated Global Terrorists blacklist.