66 defendants to be tried over affiliations with Islamic State

CAIRO – 17 May 2017: 66 defendants have been referred to the Cairo Criminal Court by Egypt’s top prosecutor over accusations of affiliations with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, and operating across six governorates in the country.

Forty-three of the defendants have been remanded in custody, while the rest are still at large.

They face a list of charges, including; creating an outlawed group affiliated with IS, the purpose of which is to disable the provisions of the constitution, preventing state institutions from carrying out their work, attacking personal freedom of citizens, harming national unity, joining a group that calls for apostatizing the ruler; and targeting Christians and seizing their money and property and disrupting public order and security.

The prosecution has also drawn other charges against the defendants, including; forced theft, possessing firearms and ammunition, manufacturing explosives; and orchestrating terrorist acts targeting vital facilities.

Two women among the accused are charged with funding the outlawed group.

Investigations carried out by the Supreme State Security Prosecution revealed that Mostafa Ahmed, one of the defendants, was ordered by IS leaders abroad to establish a terrorist group under the name “Upper Egypt State” Organization, tasked with targeting the overthrow of the regime and harming the country’s economy.

It was also revealed that one of the defendants created eight cluster terrorist cells titled “Upper Egypt State” operating in a number of governorates including: Cairo, Giza, Delta’s Kafr el-Sheikh, Beni Suef in Northern Upper Egypt, Minya and Aswan.

The outlawed group has pledged its allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group, and to its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

According to the investigations, defendants confessed that IS leaders have provided financial support to establishing training camps for the members of the outlawed group. They also provided them with arms and ammunition.

The group has previously targeted a money transfer vehicle on the Baltim International Road in Kafr el-Sheikh, and stole all its content.

The trial of the defendants before Cairo Criminal Court is yet to be set.