A small, al-Qā‘idah-inspired cell could be behind the bombing of the Church of the Two Saints, Saint Mark and Pope Peter, in Alexandria on New Year's Day, according to this article in the Egyptian Gazette.

The spread of terrorism in the country is not expected, but according to ‘Amr al-Shubkī, an expert in Islamic movements, the main concern is the impact on Muslims and Christian relationships.

A military expert quoted in the article asserts that this type of attack does not require much networking, it just needs to identify a point of weakness. It was different from the terror groups acting in Egypt in the 1990's, as they were inspired by a global ideology.