Ansar Beit al-Maqdes leaders flee amid crackdown
Security sources claimed 10 leaders of Ansar Beit al-Maqdes, a radical Islamist militant group based in Sinai, fled to Gaza and Marsa Matrouh province amid a crackdown that killed two of the group’s leaders, according to the privately-owned Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper Tuesday.
On Monday, Armed Forces spokesperson Ahmed Ali announced on his official Facebook page that Ibrahim Mohamed Frej, a leader in the organization was “eliminated” in an ambush near Sheikh Zuwayed in northern Sinai. The post said that Frej had orchestrated attacks on military and police personnel in the peninsula.
In a separate post, Ali claimed another leader within the group, Essam al-Sarea, was “eliminated” by Special Forces of the Second Field Army.
Security sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that 10 other leaders of Ansar Beit al-Maqdes escaped to Gaza with the help of Sinai tribes.
The militant group has been linked to a car bomb attack on Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim on September 5 near his home, as well as a string of attacks on a natural gas line between Egypt and Israel.
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