EL-ARISH, Egypt — The United Kingdom reopened its embassy in Cairo today, more than a week after it, along with Canada, closed its mission. The decision by the United Kingdom and Canada to close their embassies — on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8, respectively — raised many questions in Cairo regarding the reasons behind these measures. The UK Foreign Office still warns that there is "heightened threat of terrorist attacks globally against UK interests and British nationals from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria," and specifically names Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis in the Sinai Peninsula as a threat.

The Egyptian media considered the closing of the embassies to be part of a conspiracy. Satellite TV channels as well as newspapers, both owned by the government and pro-regime businessmen, allowed what they referred to as experts to state that the closing of the embassies was a conspiracy to cause Egypt to fall.

But what is really behind the timing of the closing of the embassies and warning against traveling to Sinai?

A sheikh from Sinai, who is close to the Egyptian intelligence services, told Al-Monitor, on condition of anonymity for security reasons, “The first warnings came from the Israelis in mid-November. Israeli intelligence told its Egyptian counterparts that it had discovered information about terrorists in Sinai planning to abduct foreign nationals and carry out terrorist operations in South Sinai and Cairo.”