Hisham Ashmawi’s top aide, 2 others sentenced to death, placed on terror lists: Egyptian court

CAIRO – 25 October 2021: An Egyptian court sentenced three people to death, including Bahaa Keshk, the alleged main assistant of terrorist Hisham El-Ashmawi, over leading a terrorist group.

The court also ordered placing the three convicts on the terrorism lists. Other convicts are the fugitives Mohamed Fathi and Mohamed Morgan.

The convicts face charges of leading a terrorist group that sought to use power, violence, and intimidation domestically to disturb public order and jeopardize the safety of the society and its interests.

The group is also accused of harming individuals; spreading fear among them; putting their lives, freedoms, public and private rights, and security at stake.

They are also charged with harming national unity, social peace, and national security as well as obstructing general authorities and government institutions from carrying out their work and obstructing the implementation of the constitutional rulings and laws.

Hisham El-Ashmawi, an Egyptian former army officer who joined Al-Qaeda, was executed in March 2020 over terrorism related crimes.

The ex-special forces officer turned militant was convicted in many terror attacks, including the 2013 assassination bid against then interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim.

Ashmawi was involved in the assassination of top prosecutor Hisham Barakat and other attacks including Al-Wahat terror assault, which led to the death of 16 Egyptian security personnel.

He was also found guilty for plotting to target ships crossing the Suez Canal, as well as helping a member of the Ansar Beit al-Maqdis terrorist group escape from a government hospital in Ismailia.

Ashmawi was captured in Libya late in 2018 by forces of the Libyan National Army.