Incident Summary:

10/03/2014: Assailants abducted a Sufi leader along with three of his family members in Gora town, North Sinai governorate, Egypt. The victims were tortured and then released 10 hours later. No group claimed responsibility for the incident; however, sources attributed the kidnapping to Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (Ansar Jerusalem). Additionally, sources stated that the victims were targeted for providing aid to the Egyptian army.

GTD ID:
201410030034

When:
2014-10-03

Country:
Egypt

Region:
Middle East & North Africa

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

North Sinai

City:
Gora

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Hostage Taking (Kidnapping)
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Religious Figures/Institutions
Name of Entity Unknown
Specific Description Sufi Leader: Sheikh Khaled al-Ratil Sawarka
Nationality of Target Egypt
Additional Information
Hostages Yes
Number of Hostages 4
US Hostages 0
Hours of Kidnapping 10
Outcome Hostage(s) released by perpetrators
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Unknown
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Firearms Unknown Gun Type
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (Ansar Jerusalem) No
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 0 Fatalities / 4 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 0
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 4
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"Sinai militants rise again," AlMonitor, October 8, 2014.
"Religious Leader Abducted," AllAfrica.com, October 4, 2014.
"Sufi cleric abducted in Sinai by suspected militants: Military source," Ahram Online, October 4, 2014.