Egypt: Over 290 Terrorist Suspects To Stand Trial

They are accused of armed attacks in the Sinai in the past few years.

A group of 292 militants belonging to the Islamic State group have been referred to an Egyptian military court for trial. The MENA news agency on November 21, 2016, reported that the suspects belong to the so-called “Sinai State,” a militant group loyal to the regional Islamic State, IS.

The suspects are accused of carrying out terrorist activities in the Sinai Peninsula in recent years and planning to assassinate President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, MENA said. Egypt has been facing a rising wave of terrorist operations and bomb attacks mostly in North Sinai Province since the military removed former Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and the Moslem Brotherhood group.

On November 4, 2016, a military brigadier general was assassinated by three terrorists outside his home in North Sinai, while a judge survived a blast in Cairo during the day. Earlier in mid-October 2016 also in North Sinai, at least 20 soldiers were killed in a series o...