Ma'an News Agency, via Jihad Watch — 1/2/2014
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – The Egyptian intelligence said Wednesday that groups affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas movement plotted to blow up Coptic churches in the North Sinai district during Christmas celebrations on Jan. 7.
Egypt's al-Watan newspaper reported that Egyptian intelligence intercepted communications between “terrorist groups” in Sinai and activists of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
The Sinai groups, according to the report, were given directives to continue with “what they called Jihad” against Egyptian police and army, according to the report.
They were also told to expect weapons and funds in a few days through smuggling tunnels from the Gaza Strip “via three members of the Hamas military wing,” the newspaper report alleged.
The report highlighted that Egyptian security arrested a member of a “terrorist” group in Sinai and he had ciphered letters from which Egyptian experts learned that explosives and 700,000 Egyptian pounds would be sent to the militant groups in Sinai.
The ciphers, according to al-Watan, instructed the “terrorists” to carry out several attacks against churches simultaneously during Christmas celebrations.