Libyan army seizes books of Muslim Brotherhood’s Sayed Kotb in Derna: reports

CAIRO – 19 June 2018: The Libyan National Army (LNA) has reportedly found a number of “takfiri books of the terrorists in Derna” in the partially liberated city, including those written by Sayed Kotb, a former leading Muslim brotherhood figure.

In a video broadcasted by the Abu-Dhabi-based News Eye Gate, men of the LNA appeared in military uniforms pouring gasoline on some “takfiri books”, including books with the name of Sayed Kotb, “the guide of terrorism in Derna” printed on their covers.

Describing persons or books as “takfiri” commonly means that they adopt a violent attitude toward others based on Islamic beliefs that are misunderstood and subsequently misused to justify violent actions and terrorist attacks.

Kotb was executed by the Egyptian state in 1966 after being convicted of planning to assassinate late President Gamal Abdel Nasser who ruled Egypt for about 14 years until he died in 1970.

Libya declared on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr (a Muslim feast to celebrate breaking the fast after the end of the holy month of Ramadan) that it has seized most of the eastern coastal city of Derna from extremist groups in the country following the military successes achieved by the national army.

The Libyan National Army forces took control of large areas of the city of Derna and said that they were about to defeat the terrorist and extremist groups that have controlled the city for seven years.

The LNA, led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has launched a military operation against terrorists and militants in Al-Qaeda hideouts in Derna since April.

The LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said earlier in June that the army seized in Al-Qaeda head’s house in Derna’s Shiha district a number of weapons that were stamped with the logo of the Qatari army.

In an interview with Sky News, Mismari said that the Qatari weapons were found during combing a number of districts in the city. However, no pictures or videos of the Qatari weapons reportedly seized were published.

Muslim Brotherhood presence in Libya talks

In late May, a delegation from the Libyan High Council of State (HCS), headed by Muslim Brotherhood member Khaled al-Mishri, attended the UN-sponsored international conference in Paris on Libya, despite the Islamists’ objection on Haftar’s presence in political talks.


French President Emmanuel Macron hosts a meeting at the Elysee Palace that aims to end the Libyan crisis in the presence of Libya’s four main rivals, including head of the Libyan High Council of State Khaled Mishri, General Commander of Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar, Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and speaker of the eastern House of Representatives Aguila Saleh – Twitter/Taher Al-Sonni

Before the meeting, Mishri, the newly-elected head of the HCS along with other HCS members had expressed objection to the participation of military figures in the meeting, in a clear reference to Haftar, saying that military personnel are not political figures.

The meeting incorporated Libya’s four main rivals including, Mishri, Haftar, Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, and speaker of the eastern House of Representatives Aguila Saleh.