Egypt sentences high-profile militant to death

An Egyptian military court has handed down a death sentence to one of the country’s most high-profile militants for his participation in scores of attacks on government targets.

The court convicted Hisham el-Ashmawi, a former army officer turned militant, and sentenced him Wednesday to hanging. He was captured in Libya by Cairo-allied forces and returned to Egypt last year.

Egyptian authorities link el-Ashmawi, 40, to several major attacks, including a 2013 attempt to assassinate Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim and a 2017 ambush that killed 30 Christian pilgrims. He is also been convicted of leading assaults on security forces near Egypt’s desert border with Libya.