An group affiliated with ISIS is claiming responsibility for the missile attack on an Egyptian navy ship in the Mediterranean Sea which caused a spectacular explosion but no fatalities.
The Thursday attack occurred while the Egyptian military was patrolling the seas for "terrorists," said Egyptian army Gen. Mohammad Samir,
according to CNN. The patrol ship caught fire in a firefight with the suspected militants, which called itself the State of Sinai.
The group, which claims its has bases in the Sinai Peninsula, said in a statement that it struck the patrol ship that was near Rafah near the Gaza border with a "guided missile," . The State of Sinai, formerly known as Ansar Bait El-Maqdis, released photos of what appeared to be a flying object heading toward and then striking the ship.
"If true, the militants' possession of such high-tech weapons, which can also be used to fire on tanks, would present a significant challenge to Egyptian security forces who have already struggled to contain attacks by Islamist fighters on army and police personnel across Egypt,"
wrote Erin Cunningham of the Washington Post. "Egypt is home to the Suez Canal, one of the world's most important waterways."
The Guardian reported that the group announced its loyalty to ISIS last year, extending terrorists' group's reach from Iraq, Syria and Libya. Authorities said the group was involved in attacks on July 1 in the Sinai desert that left 100 militants dead along with 17 Egyptian security personnel.
That attack led to new laws that some charged limited the news media's freedom to report on terrorism attacks after government officials pushed back on its casualty losses.
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