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Prosecution investigates Egyptian fighters' involvement with "Islamic State" - statement
Families of the Egyptian Coptic Christians workers kidnapped in the Libyan city of Sirte, hold pictures of their kidnapped relatives as they ask for their release, in front of the U.N. office in Cairo January 19, 2015. Egyptian Copts have been targeted in Libya before during the chaos that broke out when militias that fought together to oust dictator Muammar Gaddafi then trained their arms on one another. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih
CAIRO, Feb 22 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt's prosecution launched an "extensive investigation" on the Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria and the "crimes" the group "commits against Egyptians," on Sunday.
The investigation includes looking into the involvement of Egyptian fighters within the group, a statement from the prosecution's office said. Egypt's top prosecutor Hisham Barakat ordered that the names of several people are placed on the Interpol wanted list.
According to the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence, as of January 2015, the number of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria exceeds 20,000, with the Middle East supplying 11,000 of them. Egypt is the source of 360 of those fighters, the report said.
Prosecutors will also investigate the "brutal murders" of 20 Egyptians at the hands of men, believed to belong to a Libyan division of Islamic State fighters.
A video released on February 15 showed the beheadings of 21 men, including one who is not believed to be Egyptian.
In response, the Egyptian air force launched airstrikes on targets in Libya and is making endeavours to rally the international community behind backing a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council to lift an arms embargo on the Libyan government.
Barakat formed a committee to examine all video content related to Islamic State fighters, available on the internet.
