The assassination of Egyptian state prosecutor Hisham Barakat on June 29 indicates an increased risk of terrorist attacks in Egypt. Experts’ explanations range from simply poor planning to the possibility that terrorist and extremist organizations — including the Muslim Brotherhood — have cracked the Interior Ministry’s security services.

Maj. Gen. Abdul-Latif al-Bidiny, security expert and former assistant minister of interior, said in press statements the bombing of Barakat’s convoy confirms terrorist organizations have circumvented the security imposed by the Interior Ministry. However, he did not accuse the security services of negligence.

Security expert Maj. Gen. Ashraf Amin told Al-Monitor the assassination of Barakat may reflect that some information regarding Barakat’s security plan may have been leaked, but that does not mean there is a systemic infiltration of security services. “Security services face a major challenge in thwarting terrorist operations and plans, since international intelligence services support terrorist organizations,” said Amin. He did not describe the security services’ performance as negligent.

Another expert, Maj. Gen. Khaled Okasha, told Al-Monitor, “The Ministry of Interior cannot be exempted from its liability for the assassination of the attorney general.” He accused the security services of failing to protect Barakat and having poor security planning. “This is confirmed by the fact that the guard staff did not take another [travel route] to confuse terrorist organizations, especially in light of the attacks targeting judges in Egypt.”