Egypt's top prosecutor has accused the suspects of involvement in attacks on churches and military targets. The militant group has increasingly targeted Christians after launching an armed insurgency in northern Sinai.
Image: picture alliance/Photoshot/A. Gomaa
Advertisement
Egyptian authorities referred 48 suspected members of the "Islamic State" militant group to military trial for involvement in three deadly church bombings, Egypt's chief prosecutor Nabil Sadeq said in a statement on Sunday.
At least 75 people have been killed in "Islamic State"-claimed attacks on Coptic churches in December and April, including two in Tanta and Alexandria on Palm Sunday. Sadeq said that 31 of the suspected militants are in custody, but 17 remain at large.
According to the prosecutor, the suspects allegedly set up "Islamic State" cells in Cairo and the southern province of Qena. The suspected militants allegedly received training in Syria and Libya.
In the statement, Sadeq also accused the suspects of participating in a separate attack on a checkpoint in Egypt's Western Desert, which left eight law enforcement agents dead.
Egypt's armed forces have struggled to quash an armed insurgency in northern Sinai since President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi led a military coup against the country's first democratically-elected leader, Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, in 2013.
Terrorism in Egypt
With the rise of the "Islamic State" in 2014, the militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to the militant group and rebranded as the Sinai Province, vowing to enact a brutal campaign to recreate a caliphate in Egypt.
Although the Sinai Province initially launched attacks against military and state security targets in northern Sinai, it claimed responsibility for the downing of a Russian airliner in 2015 that killed 224 people on board, many of them Russians.
Since then, the group has increasingly targeted Egypt's Coptic Christian community in the country's urban centers. In December, the "Islamic State" claimed responsibility for a church attack that left 29 people dead in central Cairo.
The Coptic community comprises roughly 10 percent of Egypt's population of about 90 million. Although pockets of sectarian violence have emerged in the wake of Egypt's 2011 revolution, the Coptic community maintains relatively amicable relations with the country's Muslim majority.
What is the 'Islamic State'?
IS has gone from an obscure al-Qaida splinter group to a global phenomenon. DW takes a look at the defining aspects of the jihadi group — from its "caliphate" to its tactics.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Al-Furqan
Where did it come from?
The "Islamic State" (IS) — also known as ISIL, ISIS and Daesh — is an al-Qaida splinter group with a militant Sunni Islamist ideology. It emerged in the aftermath of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and is led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Their goal is to create a worldwide "caliphate." It gained worldwide notoriety in 2014 after a blitzkrieg military campaign that resulted in the capture of Mosul.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Where does it operate?
IS is believed to be operational in more than a dozen countries across the world. It controls territories in Iraq and Syria. However, the group has lost much of the territory it controlled in Iraq and Syria at the height of its expansion in 2014.
Who is fighting back?
The US leads an international coalition of more than 50 countries, including several Arab nations. Russia, Iran and its Lebanese Shiite ally Hezbollah, which all support the Syrian government, also fight IS. Regional forces such as the Kurdish peshmerga (above) and US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters, fight IS on the ground. The Iraqi army and militia have pushed IS from large parts of the country.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/H. Huseyin
How does it fund itself?
One of IS' main sources of income has been oil and gas. At one point, it controlled an estimated one-third of Syria's oil production. However, US-led airstrikes deliberately targeted oil resources and the Syrian government as well as US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters have retaken most oil wells. Other means of income include taxes, ransom, selling looted antiquities and extortion.
Image: Getty Images/J. Moore
Where does it carry out attacks?
IS has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks across the globe. The militant group has targeted capitals across the EU, including Berlin, Brussels and Paris. IS leaders have encouraged so-called "lone wolf" attacks, whereby individuals who support IS carry out terrorist acts without the direct involvement of the group.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Spingler
What other tactics does it use?
The group uses various tactics to expand its power. IS fighters have looted and destroyed historical artifacts in Syria and Iraq in an attempt at "cultural cleansing." The group has also enslaved thousands of women from religious minority groups, including Yazidis. IS also uses a sophisticated social network to distribute propaganda and recruit sympathizers.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Eid
How has it impacted the region?
IS has further exacerbated the ongoing Syrian conflict. Millions of Syrians and Iraqis have fled their homes, many traveling to Europe in pursuit of refuge. Although it has lost all of its strongholds, the militant group has left extraordinary destruction in its wake. Areas affected by the militant group's rule will likely take years to rebuild.
