11 elements of Ansar Beit al-Maqdes send to Grand Mufti

CAIRO – 28 November 2017: The Military Court sent 11 elements of Ansar Beit al-Maqdes on Tuesday to the Grand Mufti to issue the final judgment on their case, dubbed “Beit al-Maqdes 3”, on December 20.

The defendants are charged for several crimes including the attack on the Farafra ambush.

The defendants revealed during investigations that they monitored the military unit for two days before attacking; planning for their attack.

The defendants launched towards the unit in three four-wheel vehicles and wore military uniforms, carrying RPGs and explosive devices as well as guns. They were headed by terrorist Hisham Ashmawy who planned the attack and after left for Libya where he took charge of the al-Qaeda-affiliated group, "al-Murabitun.”

Ashmawy was born in 1978 and graduated in 2000 from the military academy; a distinguished officer later joining the Special Forces unit. He served in Sinai for 10 years and witnessed the bombings of Taba, Sharm El-Sheikh and Dahab.