Libyan jihadist Abdel Rahim al-Mismari, who was convicted for his involvement in a bloody attack in Egypt in 2017, was hanged on Saturday, the Egyptian military said.

On October 20, 2017, 16 Egyptian police officers were killed in an ambush and street fight with Islamist fighters in al-Wahat al-Bahariya, 200 kilometers southwest of Cairo, in the western desert. A few days later, Egypt launched retaliatory strikes in the region against the jihadist group that claimed responsibility for the ambush.

One of the leaders of the organization, Imed Edin Abdel Hamid, a former Egyptian security officer, was killed. Abdel Rahim al-Mismari survived and was arrested. In November 2019, Mismari, originally from Derna, Libya, was sentenced to death by Egyptian military justice, state media reported.

Also read: Jihadists in Nigeria have killed nearly 70 people

“Today (Saturday) Libyan jihadist Abdel Rahim al-Mismari was hanged,” the Egyptian military said in a statement, citing state media. He was found guilty of “11 crimes”, including “belonging to an illegal organization linked to the Al Qaeda terrorist organization in Libya” and “premeditated murder”, according to the same sources.

Following the overthrow of the army in July 2013 by Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, extremist organizations have stepped up attacks on the army and police, as well as on the Christian minority. In Egypt, his successor, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has been brutally repressed against all sorts of opposition, Islamist or non-Islamist. Convictions and executions have multiplied.

The army is fighting against various extremist organizations in the Sinai Peninsula (east), including the Egyptian branch of the Islamic State (IS). In March 2020, Egyptian jihadist Hisham al-Asmaoui, a former officer who took up arms against the government, was executed after his arrest in Libya.

Also read: Libya | Eyes on Syrte and Al Joufra – The warring parties, diplomacy and much more on the interactive map (VIDEOS-PHOTOS)

Source: CNA