WhatFinger


The Mystery of the Diplomatic White Van

Muslim Brotherhood at the wheel of U.S. diplomatic vehicles in Egypt?



Cairo, Egypt-It was a long two and a half years ago, when the streets of Egypt were full of angry youth and rebels in the first days of the Egyptian revolution on January 28, 2011. This was one of the harshest and bloodiest of scenes that will not be forgotten for decades.

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A white van whose license plates bore the diplomatic numbers 218\73, belonging to the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, rushed out from a dark street at full speed, surprising standing protestors. Behind the wheel was a driver goaded by hatred, without any apparent fear of running over protesters before speeding away. The organs and limbs of the victims were left scattered on the street. One of the most shocking facts behind this lethal incident is that the driver had a clear path to avoid any demonstrators. This is the video of the incident: In the conflicting statements that were to follow the truth was lost. But what is certain is that some 25 protesters were killed and scores more injured, and that the driver tried to kill or injure as many as possible on this ‘Joyride from Hell’. Unproven rumors pointed to Ismail Alshaer, then Chief Security Officer of Cairo. The US Embassy rushed to deny any relationship to the incident and claimed that a large number of cars--including the white van--had been stolen from the Embassy garage. Next, authorities provided the name of a registered car thief well known to the police as the van driver. Another twist to the story was to follow when a few days later, members of an unknown militia attacked police stations and prisons, smuggling the car thief out. He later came forward making claims that he knew nothing about the lethal car because he had been hiding in one of the garages during the gunfire. Public suspicion was at an all-time high when members of the SSI arrested him, blinded him, accusing him outright as the killer driver of the white van. It defied reason and belief when a few days later, people found the very same white van smashed and burned completely in one of the abandoned areas in Cairo, destroying all evidence that could lead to the real killer. While the Egyptian public prosecutor tried to quell angry public opinion, investigations were never brought to trial to the present day. Other diplomatic vehicles had been found trying to cross the Egyptian borders into Gaza. Some of these vehicles were used in the random killing of police officers as well as demonstrators. Five other cars had been found in garages near the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. In the two years since, nothing has been said, with only the Embassy issuing a statement denying any relationship to any of these incidents, affirming that there are no unlicensed vehicles in use for any confidential purpose and that the Embassy has never violated any Egyptian laws. A few months ago, one of the victim’s lawyers requested a re- investigation of the case to uncover the perpetrators to bring them to a quick trial in the face of Embassy authorities claiming that it is impossible to steal their vehicles because they cannot be started without their original keys. Surprisingly, one of the key witnesses who had given misinformation each time to investigating authorities was Jamal Taj al-Din--a known Muslim Brotherhood leader in Egypt. Other eye witnesses have disappeared. But astonishingly enough, Jamal Taj al-Din, who gave false information before, is now offering himself again to investigators with the claim that he was able to find some of the eyewitnesses of the incident--only to have the investigating authorities discover later that all these new “witnesses” are members of the Muslim Brotherhood! Now semi-confirmed information reveals that the one who was driving the white van was not one of the police officers nor a supporter of former President Mubarak, but was Osama Yassin, Muslim Brotherhood leader group, who became Minister of Youth in the government of ousted President Morsi, currently jailed on charges of killing demonstrators during the later Egyptians revolution on June 30, 2013. The new information, published by the Egyptian weekly newspaper ElMogaz assures readers that the police spotted several wireless connections in the suspicious vehicles at the time, and that these vehicles were transporting cadres of both the U.S. Cairo Embassy and members of the Muslim Brotherhood. It is worth mentioning that during the recent sit-ins of the Muslim Brotherhood after the dismissal of President Morsi, a lot of information was received indicating that the brotherhood leaders move freely in the streets of Cairo, well away from the eyes of the Egyptian security forces, in some cars belonging to the American Embassy and the Qatari Embassy. Taking advantage of the immunity of these diplomatic cars escapes inspection. Supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Badie and other senior leaders were planning to escape Egypt in these cars, but their scheme failed when Egyptian security was alerted. Investigations with the former Interior Minister Habib al-Adli, the last interior minister of the Mubarak administration, prove that the U.S. Embassy in Cairo owns some 971 vehicles, some secret and hidden away without registered documents. But don’t look for any proof of their use in sabotage because a letter from the Diplomatic Automotive Department indicates that information about any of the unregistered cars involved in intelligence activities concerning the American Embassy cannot be disclosed.


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Ali Al Sharnoby -- Bio and Archives

Ali Alsharnoby, an Egyptian journalist and deputy editor, worked in many Egyptian newspapers.

Studied at university of Cairo, faculty of law.. and wrote a number of books about the political trends in the Islamic view.


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