Egypt army confirms execution of top Islamist militant Hisham el-Ashmawi

Egypt army has said that it has executed top Islamist militant Hisham el-Ashmawi on March 4, a day after country's court sentenced him along with 36 other defendants to death. The Cairo Criminal court had said that the Ashmawi's conviction was related to charges of belonging to a local affiliate of the Islamic State group spearheading an insurgency in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. Among all who were sentenced to death, the Ashmawi was the former army officer and was captured in Libya in 2018 by forces loyal to Libyan General Khalifa Hifter, a close ally to Egypt. 

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Ashmawi was among 200 defendants

Separately, according to reports, the top Islamist leader was sentenced to death by Egypt's court for his participation in numerous attacks on government targets. Egypt has been battling militants for several years in the restive northern Sinai area and the vast Western Desert. Ashmawi was among the 200 defendants who were accused of carrying out more than 50 militant attacks including the killing of top police officers and bombings that targetted Egyptian capital's police headquarters. Moreover, the charges of defendants also included the assassination attempt on Egyptian interior minister in 2013. 

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