Egyptian jihadi group pledges allegiance to IS

Egypt's main jihadi group, Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis, posted an audio statement online Monday, claiming that it has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) militant group.

The statement, posted on Twitter and read out by an unidentified speaker, said the group decided to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, head of IS, and called on all Egyptians to fight against their "unjust" government, Xinhua reported.

"This shameful peacefulness will not do you good, nor this blasphemous democracy," it said.

However, the authenticity of the audio statement cannot be verified independently, officials said.

On Nov 3, some media outlets reported that Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis had sworn allegiance to IS, but the report was denied by the group the next day.

The Al Qaeda inspired, Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which is blacklisted by Egypt and the US as a terrorist group, has claimed responsibility for most of the anti-government attacks that killed over 500 security personnel in Egypt.

In October, the group claimed responsibility for a brazen attack that killed some 30 Egyptian soldiers and injured dozens others in North Sinai.

The group's terrorist activities have extended from the Sinai Peninsula to Cairo and other provinces across the country.