Of the four groups that have claimed responsibility for the Sharm al-Sheikh attacks , three are branches of international terrorist networks: Tawhid and Jihad , Al-Qaeda , and Jund al-Shem . The fourth, called the ?Mujahideen of Egypt,? claims to be local terrorist group (see Terror Web Watch, July 29, 2005 for details). There is no evidence connecting any of these groups to terrorist masterminds such as al-Qaeda leaders Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri or to Abu Musaab al-Zarqawi, founder of both Tawhid and Jihad and Jund al-Shem. However, if one of the three foreign groups is found to be implicated in these attacks, they were probably acting on the ideology, attack modus operandi, and targeting set established by these three men. A direct order would not be needed; international Jihadists are well aware of what these leaders want from them, from the global proliferation of propaganda and statements rallying the ?faithful? to Jihad.

There is thin evidence from the investigation so far linking the bombing to foreign terror networks. The strongest link so far is evidence connecting the Sharm al-Sheikh bombings to the Sinai bombing of October 2004 . The group that carried out those bombings had a Palestinian leader. Important pieces for determining the amount of international involvement have yet to come out of the investigation, and when they do, analysts will have a better idea about the network behind this attack. Such pieces include details about the explosives, where they came from, where the devices were assembled, along with tracing the vehicles that were used in the bombings ? if they been taken into the country recently from a neighboring country, for instance. Finally, tracking the movement and social ties of the suspects will also provide insight into their reach and may tell investigators whether the responsible group had any plausible links to international terror networks.