The founder of Egypt's armed Islamist group Jamaa Islamiya was arrested in the south of the North African country, sources close to the security services reported Wednesday.
Salah Hashem was detained Saturday at his home in Sohag, some 500 kilometers south of the capital of Cairo, and was due to appear before a prosecutor there later Wednesday to face formal charges, the sources added.
Jamaa Islamiya, one of the main armed Islamist groups in Egypt along with the Jihad, claimed responsibility for an attack in November 1997 in which 58 foreign tourists and four Egyptians were shot and killed in Luxor, according to AFP.
Shortly after the massacre, the movement announced that it was abandoning violence.
No major attacks in Egypt involving Islamic militants have been reported for several years. (albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
