Egyptian Prosecutor General Assassinated on Eve of Anniversary of Morsi Overthrow

An explosion has killed Egyptian Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat and injured at least seven more people on Monday morning in Cairo.

Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, a spokesman for the health ministry, said Barakat passed away after surgeries. Ghaffar had previously stated he did not believe the prosecutor had suffered life-threatening injuries.

A witness spoke to Daily News Egypt:

A Heliopolis resident told Daily News Egypt they heard the explosion early Monday, and stepped onto their balcony to see a damaged motorcycle.

The witness also said there was an exploded vehicle, which according to the testimony, was Barakat’s security vehicle. The witness added that surrounding vehicles were in flames.

The damages on the attack scene included seven other injuries from Barakat’s staff and passengers, in addition to damages to 35 cars and nine houses in the area of the explosion.

No group has yet to take responsibility for the attack. A group called Giza Popular Resistance claimed it first, but someone removed it from their Facebook page and the Twitter account denounced the post. The Muslim Brotherhood insists their group did not cause the attack, but people are quick to point the finger at them.

It is no coincidence people believe the Brotherhood performed the assassination. The attack occurred only one “day before the second anniversary of the mass protests against former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy.” The military overthrew him in July 2013 and “cracked down on members of Morsy’s Muslim Brotherhood.”

The group, which is considered a terrorist group throughout the world, pushed for followers to fight against the coup and “retribution” against anyone responsible for Morsy’s removal. Three judges died in May.

“All Egypt’s judges have been targeted since the trials of terrorist groups and their members began,” explained Abdalla Fathy, the head of Egypt’s judges’ club. “But there are specific people that confronted the Muslim Brotherhood regime, and these were the ones initially targeted.”