Anonymous security sources told Youm7 that a number of extremists related to Muslim Brotherhood (MB) formed a militant cell on the Egyptian-Libyan border in cooperation with the International Organization of Muslim Brotherhood.
The sources said the cell named itself the Islamic State of Libya and Egypt, adding that a former member of the Jihad Organization, Tharwat Shehata, leads the new cell. The sources added that he was sentenced to death in absentia by an Egyptian military court.
The sources said that the security authorities monitored messages exchanged among the components of the organization.
A former leading member of the Jihad Organization said in a statement to Youm7 that Shehata transferred to Libya after serving a prison sentence in Turkey for entering the Turkish territories without a visa. He confirmed that he was sentenced to death in absentia by an Egyptian military court, adding that he was involved in the failed attempt to assassinate former Prime Minister Atef Sedky.
The sources did not rule out that Shehata depended on the jihadists who returned from Afghanistan and Syria. They added that the International Organization of Muslim Brotherhood could strike a deal with a number of extremist organizations to commit acts of violence in Egypt.
The sources said that Libya has become a shelter for militant groups and the remnants of Al-Qaeda since the ouster of former Libyan President Muammar Gadhafi. They said that they contacted the Brotherhood after the removal of former President Mohamed Morsi.
The sources said that those extremists attempted to help a number of leaders in the Muslim Brotherhood escape from prisons, including former Prime Minister Hisham Qandeel, Preacher Safwat Hegazy, and former spokesperson of Egypt’s Presidency Yasser Ali.
