Alternative Names:
Islamic State-Sinai Province, Sinai Province, Sinai Province of the Islamic State, ISIS-Sinai Province, ISSP, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (predecessor), Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, Supporters of Jerusalem, Champions of Jerusalem, Supporters of the Holy House, Ansar Jerusalem, Wilayat Sayna
Location:
Egypt (Sinai Peninsula)
Leadership:
Sinai Province’s leader, Shadi el-Manaei, was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2014.
Membership:
Sinai Province is estimated to consist of between 1,000 and 1,500 members. It draws many recruits and other support from the North Sinai region.
Funding Sources:
Sinai Province is thought to receive funding, weapons, and tactical training from ISIS, having pledged allegiance to the latter in 2014.
Origins:
Sinai Province is an Islamic militant organization that evolved from its predecessor, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (ABM).
ABM emerged during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, which saw the overthrow of the Mubarak government. The group’s activities increased in the wake of the 2013 Egyptian coup d’état, which deposed President Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist and leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In 2014, ABM established formal ties and declared loyalty to ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Thereafter, ABM was renamed Sinai Province of the Islamic State/ISIS-Sinai Province.
Major Attacks:
September 2013: Sinai Province claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt on Egyptian Interior Minister, Mohamed Ibrahim Moustafa.
November 2013: Sinai Province claimed responsibility for the assassination of Mohamed Mabrouk, a security officer
January 2014: Sinai Province claimed responsibility for the assassination of Mohamed Al-Saied, a member of Egypt’s Interior Ministry.
February 2014: Sinai Province claimed responsibility for the Taba Bus bombings, which killed four people, including three foreign tourists.
October 2014: Sinai Province killed 33 Egyptian security forces personnel in a coordinated attack.
July 2014: Sinai Province claimed responsibility for an attack on Egyptian security forces, which resulted in the deaths of 22 army soldiers.
July 2015: Sinai Province utilized an anti-ship missile, fired from shore, to attack an Egyptian naval vessel in the Mediterranean.
Ideology:
Sinai Province traces its ideological roots to a radical interpretation of Sunni Islam and Salafi jihadism, which seeks to achieve political objectives through violence and terrorism.
Objectives:
Sinai Province seeks to overthrow the Egyptian government and establish an Islamic caliphate under Sharia law in the Sinai Peninsula on behalf of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Broadly, the group also denounces so-called infidel regimes and their supporters, including the state of Israel and western interests in the Middle East and North Africa.
Tactics:
Sinai Province has directed most of its attacks against Israel and Egyptian security forces, though the group has also carried out numerous attacks against civilian targets.
Suicide bombing, firearms attacks, low-intensity bomb attacks, kidnapping, assassination, destruction of critical infrastructure, and rocket and mortar attacks.
Updated on January 13, 2016.
