15 hanged in Egypt over terrorism charges

The Egyptian authorities have executed 15 men who were found guilty on charges of the terrorism for an attack on a military checkpoint in the Sinai Peninsula in 2013.

The hangings, which reportedly were the biggest mass execution in Egypt since six convicted jihadists were hanged in 2015, took place in the Prison of Wadi Al Natrun, west of Cairo, and the Prison of Burj Al Arab in the Mediterranean Sea city of Alexandria.

A military court found the men guilty for an attack in the Sinai Peninsula four years ago in which one army officer and eight soldiers were killed, reported the New York Times.

Expressing their fears and concerns, rights activists and Islamists said the latest executions would probably drive more young Egyptians to the Islamic State (IS).

Egypt has been fighting against a wave of terror activities that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military toppled former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

According to media reports, nearly 200 security personnel were killed in militant attacks in Egypt in this year alone.