Egypt on Monday publicized the details of the terrorist who murdered three IDF soldiers on Shabbos on the Egyptian/Israeli border, retracting its initial claim that the terrorist was a police officer chasing drug smugglers who was caught in an “exchange of fire” and conveying a message to Israel that the terrorist acted alone.

Egyptian officials met with IDF senior officials at the scene of the attack on the border. An agreement was reached to establish a special investigative committee comprised of defense and intelligence officials from both countries and publish a report on the investigation by the end of the week. The officials also agreed to bolster security on the shared border by building more surveillance towers and installing additional cameras.

The terrorist was named as Mohamad Salah, a 22-year-old member of the Egyptian border police from Cairo, who according to Egyptian officials, acted alone and did not belong to or receive any support from any political or extremist groups. Salah was stationed on the Egyptian/Israeli border in a security force that is separate from the Egyptian military.

According to Egyptian reports, Salah repeatedly complained about his military service in recent weeks and even went AWOL from his base for 18 days. A member of his unit reported that Salah suffered from mental issues following the death of his comrade at the border and believes that his act may have been one of revenge. Another friend claimed that Salah tried to obtain a medical exemption from service due to physical problems following a car accident.

During Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021, Salah expressed solidarity with the Palestinians, writing “Allah stands with Palestine” under the hashtag #GazaUnderAttack.

השוטר המצרי שביצע את הפיגוע בגבול ביום שבת הוא מוחמד סלאח בן 22 מקהיר. התגייס לצבא מצרים במחזור יוני 2022 ושירת כשוטר בגבול עם ישראל. לפי דיווח מצרי, סלאח התלונן לא אחת על שירותו הצבאי כולל לאחרונה ואף נעדר 18 יום מבסיסו>> pic.twitter.com/hKMmWZR3XH

— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) June 5, 2023

Israel returned Salah’s body to Egypt for burial on Monday. Sources in the IDF said that there is no reason not to return the body since the peace treaty between the two countries precludes any need for negotiations.

According to Abu Ali Express, shortly after Salah’s identity was revealed, Palestinian media accounts were filled with photos of him with captions praising his “brave deeds.”

However, there has been no official statements from Palestinian leaders or terror groups praising the attack since they can’t afford to jeopardize their relationship with Egypt.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)