Libyan National Army Hands Over Most Wanted Egyptian Terrorist To Cairo - Reports

Faizan Hashmi Published May 29, 2019 | 11:10 AM

CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2019) The Libyan National Army (LNA) has extradited Hesham Ashmawy, one of the most wanted terrorists in Egypt, to Cairo from a detention place in Libya, media reported on Wednesday, citing the Egyptian Armed Forces' media office.

The operation to transfer Ashmawy followed a meeting of Director of the Egyptian General Directorate Abbas Kamel and LNA commander Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya on Tuesday. The sides discussed counterterrorist operations in the region.

According to Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, Ashmawy was handed over to Egyptian authorities in accordance with a long-standing judicial agreement and after all relevant procedures.

Ashmawy, a former serviceman of the Egyptian Armed Forces, was arrested by LNA troops in October 2018 during Haftar's campaign to gain control over Libya's eastern city of Derna.

Local media call him one of Egypt's top wanted and most dangerous terrorists. The man who had previously served in one of the elite units of the Egyptian special forces acquired radical views and joined terrorist groups.

Ashmawy is believed to have been involved in the attack on Egyptian border guards in February 2015, which resulted in the deaths of 29 servicemen, attacks on Christian pilgrims and other crimes that led to numerous killings. He also was a member of Sinai-based Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis terrorist group, an affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist group (both outlawed in Russia).