Top militant extradited to Egypt from eastern Libya

CAIRO

A top militant long sought by Egypt was transferred to Cairo from Libya early Wednesday, the state television said.

Hisham Ashmawi was arrested by East Libya-based forces late last year and was extradited to Egypt on Wednesday, the television said.

A former Special Forces officer, Ashmawi is accused by Egypt of orchestrating a spate of deadly attacks against security forces.

His extradition came after a visit by Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel to Libya where he met with commander of eastern Libyan forces Khalifa Haftar on Tuesday.

In 2017, an Egyptian court sentenced Ashmawi to death in connection with the killing of 22 soldiers in a deadly attack in southwestern Egypt in 2014.

According to Egyptian media, Ashmawi is the leader of the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Murabitin group in Libya’s eastern city of Derna.

Ashmawi had reportedly left Egypt four years ago in the immediate wake of the 2013 coup against Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely-elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat