People walk past buildings destroyed by the war, near the old popular market known as the Souk al-Jureid, in Benghazi, Libya February 21, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
CAIRO - 6 August 2019: Public Prosecutor Nabil Sadek referred on Monday 11 defendants, including four Libyans, to Supreme State Security Criminal Court for spying for the Islamic State (IS) and affiliate “Deterrence Force Battalions” in Libya to launch terror attacks against Egyptian expats.
The arraignment consists of the abduction and torture of Egyptian citizens to get ransoms from their families, providing money and information to IS, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling.
The Supreme State Security Prosecution and the National Security Authority pursued investigations that revealed the involvement of first defendant Mohamed Ragab Abdel Wahed in migrant smuggling along with some Bedouins. The migration took place from the western borders into Libya.
Abdel Wahed is also charged with espionage for elements of the Islamic State terrorist organization and the leader of IS affiliate “Deterrence Force Battalions” in Libya. Those are Emad Ahmed Abdel Salam al-Warfly, Moftah Ahmed Abdel Salam al-Warfly, Ayad Ahmed Abdel Salam al-Warfly, and Marwan Gharib. Abdel Wahed supplied those elements with information on the Egyptians residing in Libya.
The investigations of the Supreme State Security Prosecution, embodied in Abdel Wahed’s confession, voice records and the testimony of the victims and their families, showed that he has been to Libya several times for work, he had relations with the Libyan defendants affiliated to IS, and he agreed with them to abduct an Egyptian to get a large ransom.
Abdel Wahed had agreed before with IS elements to abduct 14 Egyptians in 2017. The hostages were tortured and their families were threatened to pay the ransoms. The defendant and others received around LE 3 million and delivered the money to the terrorist group. In the same context, a hostage called Mohamed Gad Hamed al-Sherbiny died.
The public prosecutor ordered the quick arrest of the Libyan elements in collaboration with the Interpol so they would be prosecuted in custody.
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