Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim issued orders to raise the level of security ahead of the New Year's Eve and the Eastern Christmas holidays. During a meeting held Sunday with his assistants and heads of the ministry's departments, Ibrahim said that unprecedented security measures are in place to protect churches during the holidays. “All security measures were stepped up in the streets and squares to secure vital facilities,” Ibrahim said, adding that all officer vacations were cancelled. “The ministry will not ease its crackdown on terrorist groups,” he said. “The police will step up security, and special teams have been instructed to look for explosives near crowded areas on main streets, in coordination with the armed forces.” Following the gradual improvement of security, according to experts, the security apparatus has a date with another challenging period. Prior to Egypt's Coptic Christian celebrations of Christmas, on 6 and 7 January, there will be celebrations of Prophet Mohamed on 3 January, and also New Year's Eve celebrations, which all necessitate strict security measures amid heightened fears following a string of recent terror attacks across the country. “Unprecedented security measures are in place to protect religious and vital institutions and buildings during holidays,” Assistant Minister of Interior for Media and Public Relations Abdel-Fattah Othman said. “This year's celebrations will witness strict security measures around churches during New Year's Eve and the Eastern Christmas services,” Othman added. The ministry will deploy both stationary and mobile patrols, in addition to other security measures, to secure churches and other venues of celebration, he said. Al-Ahram Weekly has learned that more than five officers would be deployed to each church, where they will set up cordons to prevent cars from parking directly outside. Plain-clothed officers and counter-terrorism specialists will be on the streets near churches, along with combat units on roving patrol. Larger teams fielded with armed forces will be deployed to the country's largest churches. Ibrahim called for decisively confronting any attempt that would endanger the security and stability of the country, and hailed the successes achieved so far in the security field. Though he underlined the importance of stepping up security measures in public areas, he lauded, during Sunday's meeting, pre-emptive strikes against terrorist groups that foiled many planned terrorist operations. “There is a noticeable increase in security performance in the last period, and surveys and statistics reveal that there is a huge decrease in crime rates,” Othman said. Though security experts express confidence in the ability of the security apparatus to secure the celebrations, they predict that terrorist operations may occur during this year's Coptic Christmas festivities. Moreover, Egypt's Coptic Coalition claimed to have received information on schemes by the Muslim Brotherhood to target Christians on Christmas. The coalition called on security services to secure churches until the end of celebrations on 7 January. Andrawas Eweidah, a leader of the Maspero Youth Union, called on the Armed Forces to secure churches during the Christmas festivities. “The silence from the [Muslim Brotherhood] in the past days confirms it is planning to spoil Egyptians' joy during the holiday celebrations, especially after Qatari-Egyptian reconciliation,” Eweidah said. People still remember the attack on New Year's Eve in 2011, when a car bomb in front of All Saints Church in Alexandria killed 23 people — the deadliest attack on a church in years. Nevertheless, Othman promised the Coptic community that they will enjoy safety in the holidays and can look forward to celebrating normally. Coptic Christians break their 43-day fast to celebrate Christmas. The festival comes almost two weeks after most Western denominations, including Catholics and Protestants, held their celebrations on 25 December. Ibrahim praised efforts made by the police to secure Christian communities who already celebrated Christmas on 25 December and took note of measures that will be put in place to monitor and thwart terrorist actions or intimidation against Coptic Christians ahead of 7 January. Ibrahim said that the collaboration of citizens is a decisive factor in ensuring success in any security plan. Security forces last week arrested seven members of a terrorist cell led by a 50-year-old deputy headmaster of a secondary school in Minya governorate. He is accused of plotting violent acts during the Coptic Christmas celebrations. The Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported that security officials confirmed that seven individuals were caught in possession of Molotov cocktails, pictures of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, and circuitry connected to mobile phones to detonate bombs from a distance, as part of a plan to disrupt upcoming Christmas celebrations.
