Coup Atlas Research Database
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65104281954ConspiracyMilitary coup

Egypt, 1954 — military coup conspiracy

Egypt (EGY)North Africa, AfricaApril 28, 1954

Event Summary

The dataset records an event coded as a military coup conspiracy in Egypt on 28 April 1954, in the immediate aftermath of the two-month power struggle between Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser and President Muhammad Naguib within the Revolutionary Command Council that had governed since the July 1952 coup. When the popular Naguib pressed for a return to civilian constitutional rule and drew closer to the Wafd and the Muslim Brotherhood, Nasser moved to depose him: Naguib was briefly ousted and placed under house arrest in late February 1954, provoking a pro-Naguib mutiny within the army, and on 25 March the RCC announced it would surrender power to a constituent assembly on 24 July. Through April to June 1954, Nasser purged the military of pro-Naguib elements, with hundreds of Naguib's supporters in the armed forces arrested or dismissed.

The coded late-April 1954 conspiracy fits this purge of the pro-Naguib military faction as Nasser consolidated control over the army.

Researched Details

Researched

Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.

Target identified in Coup Atlas research: Nasser purged pro-Naguib officers and consolidated control; Naguib was formally removed in November 1954
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Gamal Abdel Nasser (RCC strongman consolidating power)
Muhammad Naguib (president and figurehead, target of the purge)
Pro-Naguib army officers (the faction purged)

Sources

When Naguib distanced himself from the RCC's decrees and drew closer to the Wafd and the Brotherhood, Nasser resolved to depose him, briefly ousting him and placing him under house arrest in late February 1954.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Gamal Abdel Nasser open source ↗
Between April and June 1954, hundreds of Naguib's supporters in the military were either arrested or dismissed.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Gamal Abdel Nasser open source ↗
Nasser used a ten-day stint as prime minister to purge pro-Naguib elements in the army, gradually consolidating power over the RCC.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Egyptian Revolutionary Command Council open source ↗
The army in 1954 was split between officers who wanted a civilian-led democracy under Naguib and those, led by Nasser, who wanted a military-led government.
SOURCE REVIEWED Brookings, Disarming Egypt's Militarized State open source ↗

Editorial Note

The coded 28 April 1954 falls within the documented April to June 1954 purge of pro-Naguib officers during the Nasser-Naguib power struggle. Recorded as verified context for the coded military conspiracy, distinct from the July 1952 coup and the October 1954 Brotherhood assassination attempt on Nasser. Pairs with the Egypt 1953-01-16 record from batch 3.

Cross-Reference

Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.

Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:

Cline Center id
65104281954

How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.

Outcome and Target

Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Nasser purged pro-Naguib officers and consolidated control; Naguib was formally removed in November 1954.

Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.

Baseline Dataset Citation

Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
⚑ This citation establishes the coded baseline record; use the claim-level sources above for the researched narrative.

Baseline Source-Document Entries

CSP

Named in the baseline source document; no article citation was recorded.

New York Times

“NAGUIB NAMED IN TRIAL Linked With Those Accused of Fight on Egyptian Regime,” June 7, 1954

This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →

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