CCI has obtained some additional information from a US government source concerning the threat to female American missionaries in Egypt documented in a Warden’s Message issued by the US Embassy in Cairo earlier today.
The additional information is limited but may be of use in assessing this threat:
1) The threat originated from a group, not an individual (the government either cannot or will not identify the group at this time).
2) This is the first threat of this type the US government is aware of in Egypt.
3) The threat did not specify a specific missionary group or agency; it was generic to (female American) “missionaries”.
4) The threat had no geographic indicators or boundaries other than the country of Egypt.
Here is the full text of CCI’s earlier message:
URGENT MESSAGE: Reported Threat to Female Missionaries in Egypt
SEPTEMBER 28, 2012 BY BOB KLAMSER
On September 28, 2012 the US Embassy in Cairo released the following information in the form of a warden’s message:
“The Embassy has credible information suggesting terrorist interest in targeting U.S. female missionaries in Egypt. Accordingly, U.S. citizens should exercise vigilance, taking necessary precautions to maintain their personal security.”
CCI COMMENT: The use of a Warden’s Message is the least-public means the State Dept. has to communicate threat information; and yet, the message reports “credible information”. CCI will attempt to obtain more/better information concerning this threat, but for now, we recommend that all faith-based agencies and personnel in Egypt take this threat very seriously. The language is unusually strong and unusually specific for this type of message, which, when combined with the “credible” rating warrants strong attention.
CCI also notes that other terrorist organizations, including the Taliban, have issued similar threats against female missionaries and have acted on those threats with kidnappings and murders. We have no way of knowing if there is any connection (none immediately suggests itself), but even disparate terrorist groups often “copy” each other’s actions.
Until this situation can be clarified, CCI recommends that:
1) All female western missionaries in Egypt, regardless of citizenship, consider themselves potential targets of this threat (remember, to an adversary, there is often a perception that all expatriate missionaries are Americans)
2) All female western missionaries in Egypt limit their movements in the short term, avoiding exposing themselves in public places as much as possible
3) All faith-based organizations in Egypt take all possible actions to insure that female staff are not alone, are not “exposed” in public any more than is necessary, and that any suspicious activities and potential or suspected surveillance be reported immediately.