Egypt tries 292 for Sisi assassination plot, IS links
Egypt tries 292 for Sisi assassination plot, IS links
Nearly 300 suspects reportedly linked to IS have been referred to a military tribunal in Egypt accused of armed attacks and an alleged plot to assassinate President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
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Islamic State linked militants regularly clash with Egyptian forces in the Sinai [AFP]
Nearly 300 suspects reportedly linked to the Islamic State group have been referred to a military tribunal in Egypt accused of being involved in armed attacks in the country and an alleged plot to assassinate Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
On Saturday Egypt’s Prosecutor General Nabil Sadek sent the cases of 292 suspected extremists to the military court, with the Aswat Masriya news website reporting that those referred stand accused of forming 22 terrorist cells.
158 defendants are already in detention, with the rest set to be tried in absentia, according to local media reports.
Aswat Masriya and other local news sources stated that the move is aimed at targeting the ranks of the northern Sinai-based Wilayat Sinai militant group — formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis — which pledged allegiance to IS in November 2014.
Over the last few years the group has carried out a multiple attacks targeting security forces, and also executed a number of judges in the Sinai.
On Thursday, Wilayat Sinai executed a prominent Sufi sheikh in the Sinai.
According to the Egyptian state-owned MENA news agency those suspects referred to the country’s military court also stand accused of plotting to kill both President Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.
Wilayat Sinai’s attacks have increased since the ouster of Mohammed Morsi in 2013 after the Muslim Brotherhood leader had risen to power in 2012 in Egypt’s first freely contested elections.
The group has also previously been identified by some as prime suspects in the downing of Russian Metrojet Flight 9268 in October 2015 having shot down an Egyptian military helicopter in January 2014.
Agencies contributed to this report
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