Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, or "Supporters of Jerusalem," claimed responsibility for the Sunday attack on the Egyptian-Israeli gas pipeline. "We bombed the gas stations and pipelines taking gas to the Zionist entity," said a member of the group in video posted on YouTube. The man was wearing camouflage and his face was blurred as he spoke into the camera.
Al-Qaeda-inspired militant organisation Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Champions of Jerusalem) has claimed responsibility for the 24 January bomb attack on the police headquarters in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Initially, the group was known for launching attacks on Israeli targets and interests, but after the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, it has started directing its violence against the Egyptian army and police.
Less than a week after denying reports that it had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, militants of the Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, or ABM, released an audio clip late on Sunday, declaring their support for ISIS, according to media reports. The nine-minute clip was posted on a Twitter account claiming to be ABM's official account.
According to intelligence reports, the group is thought to have around 1,000 members, many of whom may have operated in other jihadi groups in the past. The group is one of the strongest and best coordinated in Egypt, and is in possession of advanced weaponry, including man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), rocket-propelled grenades, and Grad rockets.
A statement released by ABM read, "After entrusting Allah we decided to swear allegiance to the emir of the faithful Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, caliph of the Muslims in Syria and Iraq and in other countries," according to a Reuters report.
An unsubstantiated statement was released Monday affirming that Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis (ABM) was pledging loyalty to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS), stating that the group chose Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, known as the leader of ISIS, as its leader.