Al Zayton terror cell defendant faces three years in jail

CAIRO – 4 November 2017: Cairo criminal court sentenced on Saturday Ammar Abdallah to three years in jail over the case known in the media as Al Zayton terror cell.

The defendant is accused of founding a terrorist group to target Copts and foreign tourists in Egypt, and of manufacturing electric circuits to exploit them in violent acts inside the country.

The Egyptian army has struggled to put an end to militant violence in the Sinai, which has killed hundreds of police and soldiers.

The terrorists have launched several major attacks, most recently targeting Cairo and other cities, killing dozens of people.

Earlier on October 28, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi discussed measures to be taken to secure Egypt’s land and maritime borders, as well as retaining full control over crossing points. He addressed the relevant authorities’ high level of preparation to confront terrorism and challenges facing the region.

Security forces killed 13 high-risk militants in clashes that took place along Wadi Gadid-Wahat Road in October, the Ministry of Interior announced in a statement.

Based on security information acquired after the attack, security forces raided some spots in the Western Desert to pursue militants following clashes between militants and security forces in the Wahat area in Giza, which resulted in 17 officers and 15 militants being killed, the statement added.

As per information from the state security services, a group of militants were hiding in an abandoned house at the 47-kilometer mark along Asyut-Kharga Road, the statement continued.

A shootout between security forces and militants occurred when the forces besieged this point, resulting in the killing of 13 militants, some of them in military uniform, according to the statement.