NORTH AFRICA: Libyan Forces loyal to Gen. Haftar capture Egypt ‘Most Wanted’ terrorist

AGENCIES|Tobruk/ Cairo – Forces aligned with east-based Libyan rebel Gen. Khalifa Haftar have arrested Egypt’s most notorious terrorist known as Mohammad Mohammad Al-Sayyid wanted by Cairo for attacks on security forces and Coptic Christians, reports say.

Haftar’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) announced al-Sayyid’s arrest on Wednesday.

The man described as the most dangerous terrorist in the war-torn country, the Egyptian former army office turned terrorist based in Libya.

Sayyid was considered a trusted lieutenant of Hisham Ashmawy, who was earlier executed for committing terrorist crimes in Egypt, as he participated in the bombing of several Coptic churches.

Ashmawy was arrested this year and transferred to Egypt where he was sentenced and executed in March alongside 36 other alleged terrorists for several attacks against security forces and Coptic churches.

It is likely that al-Sayyid will also face same fate like his former boss as Egypt is a strong backer of Haftar.

According to the official spokesman of the Egyptian armed forces, Al-Qaeda terrorist belongs to an Egyptian family convicted of terrorism, as he has two brothers in Egyptian prisons. He noted that Abu Khaledis Ashmawy’s successor in Libya.

On March 2, Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Egyptian terrorist Hesham Ashmawy and 36 members of Ansar Bait al-Maqdes terror group to death over multiple crimes including assassinating policemen.

The case was referred to the Grand Mufti for religious advisory on February 1 as a standard procedure that seeks the religious authority’s approval on sentencing a defendant to death, although the Grand Mufti’s decision is not binding.

In this case, 208 defendants were charged with 54 crimes that include assassinating policemen, attempted murder of former Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim, and bombing security institutions’ buildings.

The Public Prosecution’s arraignment states the following crimes: founding, leading, and joining a terrorist group that targets to suspend the constitution, laws, and prohibit the state’s institutions from fulfilling their responsibilities; violating the citizens’ rights and freedoms and jeopardizing national unity and social peace; espionage with the foreign organization embodied in Hamas, and the military branch of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood; vandalism of state buildings; deliberate and attempted murder; and, acquisition of firearms, ammunition, and explosives.