By Elad Benari
A branch of the Al-Qaeda terror group based in Sinai claimed responsibility on Wednesday for the repeated attacks on the pipeline carrying gas from Egypt to Jordan and Israel.
The claim of responsibility by the group, which calls itself “Supporters of Jerusalem”, came three days after the pipeline was blown up for the 15th time since the 2011 uprising in Egypt which resulted in the fall of president Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
The group released a video in which it claimed responsibility for the attacks and said that they were meant to “protect state resources and the rights of the poor.”
The video describes how the terrorists, under the cover of darkness and taking advantage of the absence of any military obstacles in the region, conducted systematic preliminary observations of the pipeline and then placed the explosives and blew them up while calling “Allahu Akbar.”
“We struck a mortal blow to the economy of the Zionist entity,” says the organization's commander. “This blow caused billions in losses that are expressed in a rise in electricity prices, a rise in the prices of all goods and a reduction of the Zionists’ military budget.”
Officials at the Egyptian natural gas company Gasco said this week they have no plans to repair the damaged gas pipeline.
Several months ago, Egyptian security officials arrested a man in connection with the repeated attacks on the pipeline. It is unknown whether he is related to the Supporters of Jerusalem group.
Following the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood as the dominant power in Egypt, Cairo canceled a 20-year agreement to supply Israel with gas. A senior official in the Egyptian army, which held power in Egypt after Mubarak’s fall, later said the agreement was not cancelled but only suspended.
